Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

May 2, 2012 / May 10, 1994

It didn’t take long for her to figure out where they were.

At first it had been strange. The three of them, appearing in the woods of Mystic Falls. They were supposed to be dead, yet all three felt quite normal. Better, even. 

They’d been creeped out when they saw the Mystic Grill intact. A bit more terrified when they saw the old fashioned cars lined up and down every street. 

But the newspaper had given them their answer. 

“Let me see that,” said the woman, when the man beside her had told them to look at the date on the newspaper. “May 10th, 1994? Oh. Oh, shit. I know where we are.”

“Don’t you mean, ‘when’ we are?” asked the man. 

“Not necessarily. It’s not like we got transported back into the past. We’re in a completely different world.”

“Do you mind explaining that a bit more?” asked the other woman, who up until then, had been silent. 

“It has to do with what Markos already explained to the both of you,” said the woman. “Things that I learned before I was kicked out by the Travelers.”

“Well, get on with it!” snapped the man. “This is kind of urgent!”

The other woman glared at him. “Damon, can you be nice? You’re making us both miserable.”

“I’d rather not be nice, Bonnie, because Traveler Tramp here—”

“Shut up,” said the first woman. “I’ll tell you everything. I’m just still processing this. You two have no idea how much danger we’re in. Especially me. Whoever’s been trapped in here is going to want to kill me the instant they find out what I am.”

“I know what you are, Vivianna,” said Damon sharply. “Annoying and taking way too long to get to the fucking point.”

She gripped her necklace before saying, “Umlčet,” which caused the man’s voice to disappear. 

Vivianna sat down on the porch of the house in front of them, biting her lip hard before she began to explain. “You already know that the Travelers and the witches used to be one. They practiced Traditional Magic. They were incredibly  powerful, two thousand years ago. And then, the Immortality Spell was created. The Travelers supported it, seeing it as a sign that we were meant for greater things. The witches thought it violated natural law, which according to them, stated that everything had to die at one point.

“The witches hated the Travelers for their support of the spell. They cursed the entire faction, so that we could no longer use Traditional Magic. We couldn’t draw any energy from the Earth or gather in large groups or stay in any one place for too long. Otherwise, there would quite literally be biblical plagues and natural disasters that would kill us all at once.”

That had been all she’d known her whole life. Moving constantly. Never able to stay in one place for too long. Never consistently owning a closet. Never able to afford the nicer places in the towns they tried to settle into. 

She’d been born in Los Angeles. Within that same year, she’d lived in San Diego and San Clemente before her parents were able to settle in San Francisco, once they’d found suitable passengers.

Time was strange. It was never in their favor. When in their real bodies, they had at most four months to stay in one place before they had to leave. Being in passengers extended their time in one place to around three years. It was insufficient, but they’d made it work.

Her parents had been moving around all their lives, too. They’d had two children— Julian and Vivianna. Being the oldest, Julian had to help his parents take care of his sister, who was four years younger than him. When each had turned twelve, they’d started to display an ability for Traveler magic. That was their first time being a passenger in another’s body.

Vivianna had been sixteen when her parents were killed in a conflict with some witches. She and Julian had had to fend for themselves. They’d been lucky, having found Maria Larsen not long afterward. She became their travel buddy, and years later, Julian’s wife.

That was when they started to kill.

Due to being unable to stay in any one place for very long, holding down jobs was practically an impossible feat. So, like other Travelers before them, they collected money by offering themselves up as mercenaries. Vivianna had been seventeen when she killed for the first time— a politician who she’d been paid to poison. It had become a habit to them, and after awhile, they were not bothered by the murders. It became their job. What they needed in order to survive.

Vivianna had continued to kill even when she was living on her own. She’d graduated high school (barely) and had wished to settle down somewhere, even just for a little while. She’d enrolled at Whitmore College, and had just been finishing up her junior year (whilst passengered in another’s body) when the Travelers decided that the time had come to break free of their curse.

She’d been in a lecture when Julian called her, saying that it was an emergency. Pretending her grandmother had fallen ill and died, Vivianna had rushed out of class to answer.

“What the hell happened?” she asked. “You never call me when I’m in class.”

“Markos has risen. The Travelers are moving forward with their plan.”

“What? But— but not that long ago they were saying they failed to kill Katerina Petrova! And then they were saying that they still needed to find the last of Silas’s doppelgängers!”

“They found him, and murdered him. And the friends of the last doppelgängers killed Katerina. Nadia Petrova is dead as well. The Travelers used the doppelgänger blood they gathered in order to bring Markos back from the Other Side. It’s happening, sister. We are finally going to be free. You have to get here, now. To Mystic Falls. Tomorrow, I will be working to recover the Traveler knife that can expel us from our hosts. The other Travelers are becoming passengers in Mystic Falls’ citizens as we speak. I will send you an address, and you will meet Maria there, in your real body.”

She’d done what he’d asked of her. When she’d seen Julian again, he’d been inside the body of a hybrid— a young man only two years younger than her, named Tyler Lockwood. He’d retrieved the Traveler knife, which Markos had burned immediately. 

Vivianna and Maria had rushed to Julian’s side when they saw him again, pulling him into a tight hug. It was the first time they’d all been together in three years. 

But right away, they’d learned that the Travelers saw them only as collateral damage. 

“The prophecy states that we can break our curse,” Markos told the Travelers, who’d gathered in a warehouse. “But in order to undo a witch’s curse, one must have the power to undo a witch's magic. Our faithful Sloan has volunteered to be the— how do you say— guinea pig of our little experiment. Drink.”

Julian’s host had previously been drained of just a bit of his blood. Sloan drank it directly from the cup it had fallen in, and her throat had then been slit. The Travelers waited only a few hours before Sloan awoke, gasping for air.

“How are you feeling?” asked Markos calmly.

“The lights—” began Sloan, cringing.

“All part of your transition,” he said, giving her a blood bag, which she devoured immediately. “Vampirism originated from the magic of witches, and it is in the prophecy that the blood of the final two doppelgängers will undo witch magic.” He held up two vials. “The last of our doppelgänger blood.” 

He led a chant, and the others followed along without question. The blood was poured into a chalice, which Sloan then drank, before laying down and relaxing her body. When she sat up again, having felt the effects taking place, Markos said, “The moment of truth. Are you still a vampire, or is the prophecy true? Did the doppelgänger blood revert you back to your human form?”

Sloan reached for the knife he’d used to slit her throat, and cut into her palm. “I’m not healing,” she said with a smile. “I'm not a vampire anymore.”

Markos held her head in his hands. “Congratulations.” He then looked around at the rest of the Travelers. “If we can undo the magic in Mystic Falls, we can undo the witches' curse that prevents us from finding a home. We'll finally have a place to settle…” he slowly turned back to Sloan. “Sadly I'm afraid you won't be able to enjoy it with us.”

Sloan looked confused, before her throat suddenly split back open, and she fell to the floor, dead. “The doppelgänger blood removes magic,” said Markos, going to close Sloan’s eyes. “Unfortunately, without the magic of vampirism to keep her alive, Sloan has reverted to her final human state, so now she's just…”

“Dead,” said Julian. 

“Exactly, Julian,” said Markos. “She's dead. Such is the fate of any vampire that tries to live in our new home. We're almost ready to begin our work except... We're gonna need a lot more blood.”

Julian had been understandably panicked. That night, he, Maria, and Vivianna had had to sleep on the same blanket on the floor, and it gave them a chance to speak privately.

“Markos asked me, earlier, to take this body permanently,” whispered Julian. “He believes it would be beneficial to our cause to have this sort of strength. But when this spell takes effect… it will kill me. And since my true body must be destroyed to make Tyler Lockwood my forever host…”

“You’ll be gone for real,” said Vivianna quietly. “Markos doesn’t know us. He’s spoken to our ancestors for centuries since his death, but he has no idea who we are. Just as he was willing to kill Sloan, he’s willing to hurt you.”

“We can’t let this happen,” said Maria softly. “After centuries of war with the witches, we just want peace… but we can’t get peace if we die. We can’t let them go through with this. We need… to kill one of the last two doppelgängers, or rescue them.”

“You must be subtle about this,” said Julian. “Do whatever Markos asks of you. I will keep this body as long as I can. My heightened strength will help us. We will get out of this, one way or another. Whatever you do… do not trust Markos. Don’t trust any of them.”

They thought it might be easier. They thought they could manage it. But Tyler had regained control of his body. Julian was gone the following morning. Markos said they were to proceed as normal with fetching the doppelgängers for their major spell. Maria and Vivianna had been tasked with finding Julian’s real body, and destroying it. Recalling what Julian had told them, they did just that.

But when Markos had made no attempt to retrieve Julian even once his real body was gone, Maria and Vivianna had taken matters into their own hands. They’d freed the doppelgängers. Maria had driven out to get them back to Mystic Falls, while Vivianna had managed as much power as she could for a Locator Spell on her brother. He seemed to be in a house near the border, and after acquiring her own vehicle, she booked it there.

Unfortunately, Markos caught her.

“And just what are you doing here?” he asked, yanking her forward when she crept through the door.

“I-I came to get my brother,” she said shakily, looking over at Damon, who had been talking to Markos. He was on the ground now, holding his side and grunting in pain. Beside him was Julian, in a similar condition, now gasping for air. She knew that she was too late. The spell had started.

“The sun’s about to set,” said Markos, shoving Vivianna beside Julian, who grabbed her arm immediately. “Feel free to buy yourselves a little time to say your goodbyes. You,” he acknowledged Damon, “and these two traitors can try to outrun the spell… for a little while, anyway.”

Julian managed to get to his feet, holding his sister tightly before speeding away, just outside of the Mystic Falls borders.

“Where’s Maria?” he gasped.

“She was bringing the doppelgängers back to Mystic Falls,” she said. “I don’t know—” she brought out her phone, and dialed Maria’s number, but no one answered. “It— it was Stefan Salvatore we helped. The brother of the man you were with.”

“I heard them mention Whitmore,” he said, before grabbing hold of her again. “Maria must have taken them there.”

They didn’t find her in Whitmore. They found a blonde, standing beside the male doppelgänger, who looked surprised to see them.

“We’re looking for Maria,” said Julian urgently. “I heard she brought you back to Mystic Falls.”

Stefan looked uncomfortable. “Uh, yeah, she did.”

“Did she tell you where she was headed? ‘Cause she can't stay there. The town's completely overrun.”

Stefan looked down at the ground, and Vivianna snapped her fingers. “Hello, did my sister-in-law tell you where she was going or not?”

“Listen, uh,” said Stefan gravely, “you're not going to see Maria again.”

Julian’s jaw went slack. “What are you talking about?”

Stefan slowly moved forward. “She's dead... I'm sorry.” He tried to comfort the two of them by holding their shoulders, but Julian shoved him back.

“Don’t touch us,” he snarled.

“It wasn’t Stefan’s fault,” the blonde tried to say. 

“She saved your punk ass,” said Julian to Stefan, ignoring the vampire beside him.

“I wasn't the one that killed her,” said Stefan. “The witches did.”

Julian sneered. “Well, someone's going to pay for it.” He pushed Stefan back, but the vampire tried to talk him down. “Hey, hey, hey, hey. Whoa. I'm in no mood to fight tonight, all right?”

“Look at me,” said Julian angrily. “My wife's dead. I'm in somebody else's body. My sister and I have got nowhere to go because our own people are trying to kill us!”

Stefan attempted to reason with him. “Listen, we're going to find a way to stop this spell and even if Mystic Falls is gone, we're going to find a way to save ourselves, all right?”

The blonde seemed to want to snap Julian’s neck via a surprise attack, but he caught her, and nearly bit her. Immediately, Stefan lunged at him, and pinned him to a nearby car. Julian whirled around, plunging his hand into Stefan’s heart and pulling it out before letting it fall on the floor beside the vampire's body.

“There,” said Julian coldly. “Dead doppelgänger. Stopped the spell. Come on, Vanna.” 

They didn’t make it very far. The Travelers had found them just as they’d been driving like maniacs South, hoping they were moving fast enough to not be caught.

Their truck had sputtered to a stop, and when they both got out to check the engine, they’d been grabbed from behind and knocked out. When they awoke, they were in the back of a van, and seconds later, they were dragged out to stand in front of Markos and another blonde woman who seemed to be the Sheriff.

“Tyler!” said the blonde when she saw them.

“Oh, that’s not Tyler anymore,” said Markos. “That's Julian, the Traveler who betrayed his people when he killed the doppelgänger and stopped the spell. A big, scary werewolf-vampire hybrid, and yet a little vervain, a touch of wolfsbane, and here you are— weak and all mine.”

Julian scoffed. “You think you're some great leader because you pillage a helpless town? That makes you king now? Sorry, your highness, but I don't buy it.”

Markos smiled. “That's because you haven't set foot inside my kingdom.” He faced the woman beside him. “The spell the Travelers cast across Mystic Falls eliminates spirit magic, so while my people continue to have access to the Earth's purest magic, your friend Tyler will be stripped of everything the witches did to him, first his hybrid side, then his vampirism, and with no vampirism to keep him alive, he'll just be a boy with a werewolf gene, who happened to break his neck.”

Realizing what was going to happen, both Vivianna and Julian started to scream. But while being restrained, they were no match for the Travelers who were now forcing Julian over the border. Vivianna let out a horrified screech as she watched her brother’s host body die, and screamed once more when she was thrown at Markos’s feet.

He slammed his boot into her face to kick her down. “Let that be a lesson to you. You are not welcome to live with us. You may live, and suffer, and remember what you’ve done.” He chuckled. “Of course, you likely won't live very long. The witches will overpower a lone Traveler easily. And, of course, by yourself… your magic will be quite limited. So limited, in fact, that you’ll be reduced to being a mere human within a few years. Enjoy your misery, Vivianna.”

She’d made it back to Whitmore and made it a point to help the doppelgängers’ friend group defeat the Travelers. She’d died, performing the spell from the Other Side, while the witch Liv performed it in the real world. The Travelers had been defeated, and Vivianna had expected to be resurrected, able to live free, and hopefully, with the ashes of her fellow Travelers so that she would have a massive source of power for the rest of her mortal life.

Now, they were here. And she was practically powerless. 

“The Travelers had to adapt,” continued Vivianna, still refreshing Bonnie and Damon on how the Travelers came to be. “They could not rely on the spirits anymore, or on the herbs that Traditional witches used. After killing Qetsiyah and stealing the anchor to the Other Side, the Travelers began searching for ways to break the spell placed on them. Markos was born one thousand and five hundred years ago, and he was the one that made that love spell that would draw the doppelgängers together, because he knew doppelgänger blood could reverse all Spirit Magic and free us of our curse.”

“Run that by me again,” said Bonnie. “Why did I lose my powers, but you still have yours?”

“You use Traditional Magic. You channel external forces of energy, like the Moon, the Sun, and any existing elements so long as you know enough about them. It’ll take quite a bit of time before your powers replenish. Us Travelers have only ever been able to rely on each other. My necklace contains the ashes of my parents, and their blood. I can channel it for minor spells. Nothing major like what Markos did in Mystic Falls. The point is, so long as I channel my fellow Travelers, I have power. And right now, this is all I’ve got. Eventually, this talisman will run out. And if I’d gotten the ashes of the Travelers in the Mystic Grill like I wanted to… this wouldn’t be a problem.”

Bonnie sighed. “I’m sorry. Markos didn’t let Liz leave. If she had, she’d have been conscious, and would have been able to go in and get the ashes.”

Vivianna half-smiled. “Not your fault. The point is I have power, at least for a while. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. Long ago, when this schism started, three witch Covens arose. The Gemini, Misceo, and Sorve Covens. They made it their personal mission to hunt Travelers to extinction. Around that time, many Travelers were born with a genetic defect as a result of the curse. It was quite revered in the early days, but the three Covens especially despised it, and saw it as wicked.

“There is a very small existing population of witches who are called siphoners. They can draw from other sources, suck in magic, and then use it. Unfortunately, they don’t have magic all the time, so in modern times, they’re seen as abominations. The Travelers thought they were the best sort of people because they had to learn to survive without constant magic. They were like gods, humble and calculating because they couldn’t rely on magic to save their skin in every situation. And when they did siphon, they could turn the magic into physical strength and stamina. When the Gemini, Misceo, and Sorve Covens killed some of the Traveler siphoners during their hunt, the Travelers responded by cursing those three Covens.

“They created a requirement they would need to fulfill. The Merge Ceremony. Twins born to those Covens would be special. At the age of twenty-two, they would need to Merge their strength. Only one twin would survive, the other would be absorbed by the stronger twin. That surviving twin would be the next leader. There was also a small add-on to the curse. The Gemini, Misceo, and Sorve Covens were cursed to have random members be born as siphoners. In the Travelers’ minds, this ensured they would either learn to be accepting of the defect and cease hunting the Travelers, or it would ensure that the Covens would tear each other apart.

“That latter is exactly what happened. The Covens argued about how best to get rid of the Siphoner Curse. The Gemini Coven wished to kill them. The Sorve Coven wanted to send them away. The Misceo Coven wanted to perform an actual spell as a countercurse. Thinking the Gemini Coven was being too violent, the Sorve and Misceo Covens tried to work on a spell that would turn siphoners into normal witches. They channeled very dark and dangerous magic to do it, and it led to a terrible addition to the curse. The siphoners started being born with extremely psychopathic and sociopathic tendencies. They’d made it worse.

“The siphoners started popping up in greater numbers. All furious, all cruel. The Gemini Coven retaliated by killing all the siphoners there were, and disbanding the Misceo and Sorve Covens. The Gemini Coven has persisted… hunting Travelers, getting rid of siphoners. They thought that killing all Travelers would make the curse go away. They’d stop having to deal with the Merge and with the siphoners.

“In the 1700s, the Gemini Coven began to create prison worlds— alternate and parallel dimensions where they could imprison the siphoners, forcing them to live in solitude, bound to a world where they could never die or age. It was their idea of a punishment for a condition they couldn’t control. The worst siphoners were killed. Those who were more tolerable, were locked away as if they were children in a time-out who would come back home cured of bad behavior, when really, it was something they could never hope to control. 

“Many prison worlds, after a few decades, were made to collapse, killing the siphoners in them. At the moment, I know of only two prison worlds— one from 1903, and one from 1994. I don’t know how many siphoners there are in total, between those two worlds, but I imagine they were violent, though not violent enough to be killed for it. The Gemini Coven wanted these people to suffer.” She pointed at the ground. “This is a prison world. Meaning there is one or more siphoners in here that are going to want to get out, and they’re going to need our help to do it.”

“Our help?” asked Bonnie. “Why us?”

“Bennett witches were like the Gemini Coven’s best friends. They helped perform the spells that created the prison worlds. They will need your blood to get out. And, they’ll need magic. Magic which they can suck out from anyone. I’m right here, available, basically their mortal enemy. Full of magic— even if it's not as strong— and able to be subdued easily."

Bonnie stared at Vivianna in shock as she got to her feet. “Where are you going?”

“To find the siphoners,” she said, as if it were obvious. “Or siphoner.” She flicked her hand, allowing Damon to speak again. “Does that answer all your qualms?”

“Hell no it doesn’t,” he said. “When you find said person or persons, we have no guarantee you’ll get us out with you.”

“Don’t be stupid, I wouldn’t abandon you when you two know the people who may have still preserved the ashes for me out in the real world. Besides, like I said, we need Bennett blood to get out.”

Bonnie winced. “Are you sure this is a good idea, Vivianna? Going off by yourself to find the siphoners? You said that you and the Geminis are mortal enemies. They’ll kill you.”

“We need to find them. They’ll most likely have the other thing we need to get out… something called an Ascendant. I don't know what it looks like, but they might. I’ve been a mercenary for the past four years. And even with my limited magic… I can get us out of here. It’s not safe for you two to come with me. You need a relaxed environment to relearn magic. And Damon needs to be with you to protect you. Not to mention I just met you guys yesterday, basically, and I don’t know how I feel about us traveling together.”

They’d let her go. She’d helped them get settled into the Salvatore House before doing her Locator Spell, and finding a singular magical signature just a few states away. 

“If I’m not back in two months,” she said, “then assume I’m dead.”

“Two months?” said Bonnie in shock. “Do you think it would take that long?”

“It might, if the siphoner doesn’t have the Ascendant. Also, if I get injured, I can’t be traveling, so I’ll need to take some time to rest, and that could take up a week or two.”

“Aren’t you called a Traveler for a reason?” said Damon, watching her slipping on the backpack with her preliminary supplies.

Vivianna rolled her eyes. “Make sure to keep that energy up when I come back.”

And so she’d left. She’d hotwired a car and started to drive down the path she’d marked. It took her three days to arrive in New York, where the signature had pinged on her map.

“Let’s do this,” she told herself on the fourth day, holding the straps of her backpack tightly as she walked into a luxurious apartment building. She’d just started to walk up the staircase when she heard someone behind her whistle.

“Yoo-hoo,” said a male voice behind her. “Looking for me?”

Chapter Text

He was pointing a crossbow at her.

“Don’t fire,” said Vivianna calmly, holding her hands up in surrender. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

She wouldn’t have hurt him anyway. Julian used to tease her, saying that if she didn’t find an attractive person to be a passenger in, she’d never be happy. She’d spent the last ten years judging appearances, solidifying her type in people. 

This sort of encompassed it. Tall, with dark hair, eyes that pierced the soul and yet remained ever so beautiful. His jaw was tight and he was glaring at her, but that just made him more handsome, and she hoped he wouldn’t be able to sense how nervous she was. Not because of the crossbow, honestly, she’d been shot and stabbed multiple times. 

“Really?” he said, narrowing his eyes at her statement. “The unexpected guest is to be my pal?”

He wasn’t sure how she got there, but for the moment, it didn’t matter much. He made no attempt to hide the way his eyes traced up her body. It had been eighteen years since he last saw another person. He felt blood rushing to his lower extremities, but he made to ignore it, denying himself any further thoughts of lust. He’d already been imagining himself tangling his hand in her long locks of hair. Envisioning her biting those lips of hers hard in order to conceal the noises she’d make.

If this was to be his companion, he had no complaints, other than the fact he knew nothing about her. 

“Not your pal, your ally,” she corrected, remaining rooted to the spot. She feared any movement in his direction would cause him to fire the crossbow. “Who are you?”

“The better question is, who are you?”

She remained calm. “Vivianna. You?”

“Kai,” he responded. “What are you? What sort of supernatural?”

She hesitated. “I won’t answer that, because I already know what you are. An answer for an answer.”

He chuckled darkly. “I don’t care if you know what I am. Answer me, or I’m firing into your liver.”

She drew a deep breath. “I don’t think you’ll like the truth. Maybe I should tell you more about how we can benefit each other.”

“It would benefit me greatly if you told me what you are. Depending on what you have to offer, I may decide you’re not worthy of being left alive. You clearly know where you are. I tracked you on a map since the minute you got here. You came right for me. And you left behind two companions.”

She gulped as he approached her, pressing the end of the bow into her abdomen, and pushing her back into the nearest wall. He towered over her, and her heart started to beat faster, knowing she was completely trapped. As soon as he learned that she was a Traveler, he was going to attack, and she’d be dead within the hour.

“I’m going to ask one more time,” he whispered, grabbing onto her arm roughly. “What the hell are you?”

She whimpered when he started to siphon. She’d heard that being siphoned from hurt badly, but given the fact she’d never experienced it, she hadn’t known what to expect. She would have come armed with more than just a kitchen knife in her backpack if she’d known it’d be like being burned and stabbed simultaneously. “W-Witch,” she gasped out. “I’m a witch!”

“Is that the truth?” he asked, releasing her, and leaving her panting as she tried to recover. “Because I’ve siphoned off of witches before. And usually, they have a lot more magic to give. You… have basically nothing.” He pressed his hips forward, digging the crossbow further into her side, causing her to groan. “Tell me, or I’ll kill you right now.”

“T-Traveler witch,” she cried out when he started to siphon again. “I’m sorry— I’m sorry—”

He got off of her, but only to grab her and toss her to the floor, knocking the wind out of her. He dropped the crossbow, before coming up and kicking her right in the stomach, causing her to start coughing wildly. “I know my history really well,” he said, before kicking her again, watching as she tried to crawl away from him. “The Travelers are the reason I’m like this. A siphoner. A sociopath. So tell me, why would they send one of their own into this prison world, knowing that I’m in here? ANSWER ME!”

He yanked her up by the hair, then tossed her back into the stairs. “They didn’t send me here!” she wheezed, still trying to scramble away. “I’m the last one!”

“The last one,” he sneered. “You’re telling me that the Unstable Urchins finally got eradicated from the planet?”

“Stop!” she cried when he pulled her up again, only to toss her further this time, causing her to slam into the front desk of the lobby, which made her hit her head, her vision blurring as she looked up at him. “I’m going to help you get out!”

“Listen, sweetheart, I know better than to trust one of the Traveler Twats when it comes to escaping this place, because your ancestors are the reason I was born this fucked up. So, I’m going to kill you, because you’re not linked to this world, and I can be rid of you forever.”

He went to pick up the crossbow, and she knew she had to try and escape. She forced herself to her feet, starting to stumble away. He abandoned his quest for the crossbow and came after her, kicking the back of her knee and sending her tumbling to the ground. He fell onto her on purpose, both hands wrapped around her throat, and trying to crush her trachea. She slammed her fists repeatedly into his face, trying to kick him anywhere she could. She managed to knee him right in the groin, and he let up his grip on her neck. She slammed her head up, and he yelled out, giving her an opening to shove him off. 

She could feel the bruises forming all over her body, but she couldn’t afford to focus on that. No matter how much pain she was in, she couldn’t give up. She rushed out into the street, trying to dodge into another building where he wouldn’t find her. He’d recovered faster than she expected, however, and the next thing she knew, she’d heard a slashing sound. She sank to the ground, looking at her thigh and seeing the tip of an arrow sticking out of the front

She didn’t give him a chance to try it again. Gripping her necklace tightly and praying internally that she had enough power to pull this off, she raised her hand, and yelled out, “Přestávka!”

He went rigid, before his neck snapped, and he fell to the ground. She turned herself onto her hands and knees, gritting her teeth before pushing herself up, holding the nearest trash can for support.

“Shit,” she whispered, looking around for any sign that might point her toward a hospital. She’d never lived in New York before, and certainly not in 1994. She knew that she likely wouldn’t make it there in time anyway. She chose to walk back into the apartment building to at least sit down and treat her wound under a roof. 

She sat at the front desk, letting her leg hang off as she searched through her backpack, extracting her first-aid kit and a flannel she’d been saving for this occasion. Wringing out the flannel, she made a tourniquet, which she then fastened to her upper thigh, securing it with a claw clip she’d been using to hold up her hair while driving. She let out a sigh of relief as she felt the blood flow slowing down a bit.

She reached for the bandages next, ripping some pieces off and pressing them to the front and back of her wounds, putting just enough pressure to keep any more blood from leaking out. If she could at least get the bleeding under control, she just might manage to hold on long enough to either replenish her strength and heal herself magically, or get back to Mystic Falls and have Damon heal her. 

“Fuck,” she hissed. “I should have brought vampire blood with me.”

She couldn’t focus on that at the moment. She extracted the knife she’d brought, and held the arrow very tightly before starting to run the knife over it. She knew the arrows weren’t wooden, but she hoped that with enough of a back and forth motion, she’d be able to weaken it and potentially break off the longer pieces that were disrupting her balance.

“Aren’t you cute.”

She nearly fell off of the desk when Kai walked back up to her. “What the hell?” she whispered. “But— but I killed you. You should be unconscious for a few more hours.”

“That’s the thing about being in a prison world for eighteen years,” he said. “You kill yourself so many times, trying to be freed from this Hell, and you start to come back quicker each time.” He leaned on the desk, observing her work so far. “So, is the Hobo going to tell me why she’s here?”

“Maybe if you stop using those wretched nicknames,” she said coldly. 

“It’s all part of the history,” he said smugly. “Our people have hated each other for two thousand years. You must know something you can use against a Gemini. Let’s see, these are the ones I was taught to use against you guys…” he counted off of his fingers, “Traveler Tramp, Traveler Twat, Hobo, Knock-Off Witches. I made up Unstable Urchin and Beggar Bitch. I think those are good. Ooh, and I once heard a really good one. Wandering Whore. Aren’t you Travelers so poor, you all have to work as prostitutes?”

Vivianna’s mouth went dry, and she looked away. “We’re mercenaries, not prostitutes,” she said quietly, and it was clear to Kai that he’d hurt her feelings. He almost felt a twinge of guilt. But then, he wondered, why feel guilty? That’s what he’d been told about Travelers. He hadn’t known any better. He tried to justify it, because he found himself disliking the sad look on her face. 

She simpled scoffed, pretending it didn’t bother her, even though it obviously did. “Well, us Travelers call you Gemini Scum. Twin Trash. Traveler Wannabees. Witch Bastards. Merge Maledict. Perverted Prudes. Pure Prats. Your people have been cruel to us for centuries.”

“Actually, it’s the other way around,” said Kai. “You guys were the ones that started all of this. Not us.”

“It’s not our fault you were all too scared to accept the fact that Immortality was the way to go.”

“And look how well that turned out for you. The Last Traveler, huh? Don’t you selfish bastards survive solely on your connection to others?”

“Basically. You noticed my magic is very weak.”

“Well, then it’s my lucky day. I’ll just take the rest of it and be done with you.”

“You haven’t even wanted to listen to my side of all of this. I’m telling you, I can help you get out.”

Kai scoffed. “As if I’d trust a Traveler to get me out of here.”

“What if the Traveler had access to Bennett blood?”

He faltered, before narrowing his eyes. “You don’t have access to Bennett blood.”

“Yes I do. I had a vial of it when I entered the world. Hid it somewhere on my way here. Had my companions wait because I knew what to do to get out, and they didn’t. I had to make sure they couldn’t get the Bennett blood and leave without me.”

Thankfully, he believed her. He didn’t suspect that one of the companions was the one with the Bennett blood. “So, you need the Ascendant,” he said.

“I do,” she replied. “And I assume you either have it or know where it might be. If you don’t know where it is, I'll help you find it.”

“Yeah, right. If you tried to do magic now, you’d get a nosebleed.”

“Nosebleeds are something Traditional witches get. If I tried to do a spell right now, it simply wouldn’t work.”

He rolled his eyes. “You Travelers always think you’re so cool. Wow, you don’t get nosebleeds, how wonderful. You’re so different and quirky and everyone should bow down to you.”

“When you witches do spells, you use up your own energy, and pushing too hard can kill you. We may not be able to do a powerful spell entirely on our own, but in a group of Travelers, none of us will die no matter how much magic we’re harnessing. We don’t rely on herbs or on celestial bodies to do our stuff. We rely on ourselves only. That makes us better.”

“Your magic alone is basically nonexistent. So tell me, Traveler, how did you manage to snap my neck? Why did you grab onto that little pendant of yours?”

“It has the ashes of my parents,” she said simply. “And a bit of their blood. It’s a mix of Ancestral and Connective Magic. Technically a tiny bit of Sacrificial Magic, too. That’s how we work. Taking bits of different types of magic because your kind took our ability to commune with the Spirits. But who cares, you know? The Spirits only let you do what they see fit. If they don’t like what you’re attempting, your spell won’t work. Not to mention you’d die if you attempted Dark Magic. Me? I’d be unaffected. You can only perform magic without being mortally injured if it goes with the balance of nature. Dark Magic is out of that balance. As long as I channel another Traveler and maybe a dark object, I can accomplish anything.”

Kai leaned right up in her face. “Why don’t you stop bragging like the self-centered little bitch you are and tell me where to find the Bennett blood?”

She remained silent, and he abruptly slammed his hand on the desk. She managed not to flinch. “Tell me where it is,” he said, louder this time. 

“Don’t lose your temper,” she said in a warning tone, though she couldn’t help but let slip a cheeky smile that made his eyes darken. “If you kill me, you won’t get the blood.”

“Fair enough,” he said, though a wicked grin came onto his face. “But I can try to beat it out of you without bringing you completely into the white light.”

He threw her off of the desk, and she let out a grunt, unable to get back up right away. He came around and lifted her up, forcing her to sit on the chair before slapping her across the face, holding the armrests so that she couldn’t get away from him.

“Is this how it’s gonna be?” she asked, tasting a bit of blood in her mouth. “Come on. You know you won’t get it out of me like this. You’re going to lose your chance to be free because you’re too impatient to listen to reason.”

“What I don’t like is having to listen to immature and obnoxious idiots like you who think they’re in charge. Newsflash, sweetheart, you’re not in charge. I have the power here, and you’re just weak.”

She smirked slightly. “I think you’re just lucky. Lucky to be linked to this world, unable to die. That makes me stronger than you. So go ahead, Kai. Kill me. Get it over with. I’ll die and be reunited with my family, but you… you’ll be stuck here for eternity.”

“Maybe I can’t beat the location of the Bennett blood out of you, but I can make you tell me how the hell you got here in the first place.”

He raised his hand to hit her again, but she managed to catch it. “I’ll answer certain questions without you needing to strike me. My companions and I died just as the Other Side fell apart. Somehow, we ended up here.”

Not the whole truth, but also not exactly a full lie, either. 

“Why didn’t you bring the Bennett blood with you?” he inquired.

“I wasn’t stupid enough to have it on me. If I did, you would have already killed me, taken the blood, and been out of here. If you want to get it, you’ll have to keep me alive. I’m the only one who knows it’s exact location, and if I die, you’re never going to know.”

“Well, then, why don’t we take a field trip to the Bennett blood?”

“You haven’t agreed to this partnership yet. We haven’t discussed benefits.”

“I don’t give a shit about that. What I care about is getting out of this hellhole. I’ll drag you to the blood myself if that’s what it takes.”

“One problem with that. If you drag me while I’m in this condition, I won’t make it. Second, how many times must I say— I’m the only one who knows where it is. You won’t know where to go. You have to work with me if you want the blood. You can’t just send me out on a boat in the ocean to suffer. If you don’t cooperate, neither of us are getting out of here. And, before you even suggest it, no, my companions don’t know what’s needed to get out. They won’t be of any help to you. We need each other. So how about you dial down on the violence and start to listen a bit more, hmm?”

He wrapped his hand around her throat. “Or maybe, I should keep at it until you break.”

“I’m a killer,” she said simply. “Many have tried to break me and they haven’t succeeded. I’m being rather open with you about a lot of things. Maybe you should take the hint. You’re not getting anything out of me unless I want you to be aware of it.”

He released her. “You Travelers always think you know everything. You think you’re worthy of praise. In reality, your people are some of the worst I’ve ever heard of. Blowing up buildings full of witches and burning them to death just to show how against the balance of nature you are.”

“The Travelers never did that,” Vivianna snapped. “That was something the Gemini did. In 1743, the Geminis created a dome over an entire town of hosts the Travelers were passengered into, and burned down the entire area, killing innocent people.”

“First of all, that’s not how it happened. Second of all, you Parasites had no right to be passengers in anyone.”

“That is how it happened. With all the moving around we’ve had to do, I’ve had more than enough time to study Traveler history.”

“I’ve had more than enough time to study Gemini history,” he countered. “And I know that your people twisted everything to make yourselves look like martyrs. In 1526, the Travelers ambushed a group of Gemini children and sacrificed them to whatever shitty gods you people worship.”

“That’s not true. The Geminis were the ones who kidnapped and killed Traveler children throughout that whole century, thinking it would wipe us out!”

“That’s a lie and you know it. The Travelers were the ones that mass poisoned the Misceo Coven and tore it down.”

“No, the Misceo Coven dabbled in dark magic and poisoned themselves because they wanted to turn siphoners into regular witches! It’s not our fault that your own stupid ancestors had such an issue with Siphoner Scumbags like you.”

Kai shoved her off of the chair, causing her to land on the floor, and making her howl in pain as the arrow inside her was moved, tearing a bit more out the front of her leg. He yanked her up and spun them around before slamming her into the window, breaking through the glass and leaving her to tumble onto the street. She let out a soft scream as she felt the glass cutting into her skin whilst she tried to get to her feet. She felt another sharp stabbing sensation, and when she was turned to lay on her back, she saw he was holding her knife, and had stabbed her through the back.

“Kill me,” she told him, her vision already starting to blur. “Kill me and be done with it. You obviously don’t believe a word I say. Go ahead, let me die. Don’t even bury me— I don’t care. I’ll be watching you from Hell and laughing as you spend another eighteen years in here.”

He came down to lean over her, sneering in her face. “Maybe. But I’ll be in here laughing because you’re going to be suffering just as much as me, and I’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that there won’t be anymore Travelers in—”

She’d reached out, grabbing a piece of glass before stabbing it into his neck. He’d let out a cough, and spat blood into her face before his body fell on top of hers. She shoved him off, and grabbed the knife, tucking it in her belt. She wrapped one arm around herself, pressing her palm over her open wound before hoisting herself up.

She didn’t stick around this time. She grabbed her backpack and started to move as fast as possible to the nearest hospital or doctor’s office. There was bound to be something within walking distance. She needed more supplies, otherwise, she wasn’t going to last very long. 

She managed to find an Urgent Care a few blocks away, just around the time when she was starting to go into shock. She staggered into the nearest room, scrambling to grab every bit of gauze she could in order to press it against her back and her leg, which was bleeding again. She sank to the floor, moaning in pain and feeling her vision start to blur.

It was as if she was experiencing every single symptom of shock all at once. Her body felt like it was freezing, and her heart was racing. The room was spinning and she needed to throw up, but she was also dying for a sip of water. She started to choke, needing more air, and slowly, her consciousness began to fade.

She was certain she was going to die. Certain that this would be the end, and she’d be seeing her family again.

But when she lost consciousness, she didn’t see a white light. If she had the mental capacity to think in that moment, she would have wondered if maybe, every person who claimed to see a white light had been lying through their teeth to the entire world.

Then she opened her eyes again. She processed the fact she was in the same room, but the ceiling was closer to her this time. She started to move, but felt too sore to do so. Instead, she let her body relax, and simply tilted her head to the side.

She was now laying on the examination table. There was a pool of blood on the ground where she’d fallen, and a shoe print far bigger than anything she could make. Not to mention it looked like it’d been made by a pair of Converse, which she definitely wasn’t wearing today.

“Oh, good, you’re awake.”

She snapped her head to the doorway, where Kai was waiting, holding a bottle of Zima.

Chapter Text

“What the hell did you do to me?”

He scoffed. “I only just saved your life. Ungrateful brat.” He popped open the bottle and started to drink. “You take forever to recover. Guess I forgot that’s a thing with humans.” 

She forced herself up, and looked down at her leg, seeing the arrow was gone, and bandages were neatly wrapped over it. She felt over her side, her fingertips running over another perfectly fastened strip of gauze that’d kept her wound from bleeding excessively. She’d only just noticed that her right hand had an IV attached to it.

“For the record,” he said, bringing a bag of pork rinds out of a backpack. Her backpack. The bastard had gone shopping using her supplies. “You’re really bad at bandaging yourself.”

“Kind of hard to do when you’re dying,” she said. “You saved my life. Why?”

He shrugged. “Call it a witch’s premonition, but I figured out that you just may be useful.”

“You only just realized that? I’ve been telling you that I’m useful.”

He held up his finger. “Ah, ah, ah, Vivianna. I said you may be useful. I don’t see you as useful at the moment. You haven’t yet delivered the Bennett blood. Besides, there’s a lot more I have to know about you.”

“I have questions first. How did you do this?” She gestured at the IV and the bandages.

He shrugged. “I’ve been here eighteen years. Got bored, had to read for fun. Whole world is full of medical textbooks. I had to research to figure out how best to off myself to see if it would work to get me out. My question to you, now, is, how didn’t you know how to do this? You’ve traveled everywhere. You should know better.”

“I’ve been a passenger for the majority of the time since I found out I could do magic. If I ever got injured, I could just hop back into my own body and let the other person deal with theirs. Besides, when you get stabbed in the back, it’s a bit harder to stay alive. You removed the knife. I was bleeding out and going into shock. Why did you pick me up off the ground?”

“‘Cause I wasn’t going to be crouched down to treat you. Besides, you were getting blood all over the floor.”

She held up her arm. “The IV. What are you pumping into me?”

“Ah, you wouldn’t know what it is even if I told you, I don’t use the common names, I learned the actual names of the chemicals. It’s medicine. That’s all that matters.”

“How did you know what to give me?”

“Again, medical textbooks.”

“Well, yeah, but there’s a certain dosage required. Otherwise it’ll be useless.”

“I estimated your weight and hoped for the best. Did a few calculations. I just have to ask you a bit more about your medical history to get it right.”

“Why would I tell you my medical history when you’re probably just gonna poison me anyway?”

He smirked. “That’s the beauty of it, isn’t it? But if it makes you feel better, I can’t kill you yet. You’re my ticket out, Vivi!”

“Don’t call me that.”

“I’ll call you whatever I want. I’m your doctor now. I’m the one that gave you the right combination of meds to save your life.”

“Combining meds can be dangerous. It could kill me in the future.”

“It won’t, I know my stuff. First question, are you pregnant?”

She rolled her eyes. “No.”

“Are you breastfeeding?”

“Obviously no.”

“How many sexual partners have you had in the last year?”

“None of your business.”

He held up his hands playfully. “Well, I’ll just assume it’s less than five.” He took another swig of the Zima. “Ah. I’d offer, but you can’t drink any alcohol in your condition.”

“So you brought that thing to rub it in my face that I can’t drink?”

“Exactly. Also, it’s my favorite drink. Let’s get to the real questions. What’s your full name?”

She tried to contain a smile. “Vivianna Zima-Ruzicka.”

He snorted. “Bullshit.”

“It’s not. Zima is a Czech surname. If you recall, that’s the language Travelers use.”

“Great. Wonderful. Peachy, really. You just ruined my favorite thing for me. What’s next, you’ll make me hate my favorite season of the year?”

“What’s your favorite season?”

“Winter, duh, I love snow.”

She stifled a laugh. “Zima means ‘winter.’”

“Bullshit again.”

“No, it isn’t bullshit. I’ll make sure to prove it to you once we have access to the internet.”

He obviously had no idea what that was. “Where does the ‘Ruzicka’ factor in?”

“Well, Zima is my father’s surname. Ruzicka is my mother’s. In my family, at least, we have a tradition to place the father’s surname hyphenated with the mother’s. So, my father was Julian Zima-Zajic. Zima for his father, Zajic for his mother. My mother was Valeria Ruzicka-Mira. Ruzicka for her father, Mira for her mother. My brother and I were Zima-Ruzicka.”

“Who’s your brother? Is he one of the companions?”

“No,” she said, eyes flickering away. “He died four days ago.”

Kai frowned. “Wait, what?”

She ended up explaining most of it to him. The Travelers’ plan to end Spirit Magic everywhere. How she, Julian, and Maria had deserted them. How Julian had been killed. She lied, stating that the Travelers had actually killed her, too, just as the Other Side collapsed. He didn’t need to know the rest of the details. She didn’t want to risk mentioning Bonnie and Damon’s names. 

It didn’t matter to Kai. He was most intrigued by the fact that she wasn’t sobbing over her brother’s recent passing. She didn’t know how to explain that she’d cried the entire time she’d driven from Mystic Falls to New York.

“So you really are the Last Traveler,” he said. “And you managed to end up here. With the last siphoner of the Gemini Coven.”

“What’s your story?” she asked, running her hand over her side, feeling a strange pulsating sensation. 

He actually told her. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe he felt she could be trusted. Or maybe he just wanted to keep it even. Perhaps he wished her to be fully informed before they went through with their alliance. 

(A/N: I’m using a LOT of the backstory I had already given him in Pernicious because I made it up so it’s mine to use whenever I want. Makes it easier that way.)

“I was born in 1972,” he said. “Firstborn of the leader of the Gemini Coven, Joshua Parker, and his wife, Maeve. I was Malachai Parker, the older twin brother to a backstabbing little bitch named Josette. I was in line to be the next leader. But when my parents found out I was a siphoner… they didn’t take it very well. 

“They made it their life’s mission to make another set of twins, so that I wouldn’t be able to take charge of the Coven. They went on to have my brother Joey. Then Mikey. Then Meredith. Jessica. And finally… the favorites. The twins, Olivia and Lucas. My mother died giving birth to them. A well-deserved punishment to both assholes for what they did to me.

“The entire time they were popping out more kids, they were treating me like shit. Excluding me from everything. Family pictures and events. They never spoke to me unless it was absolutely necessary. There were some days where we were okay. Where I thought… maybe they’ll start to be accepting. But they never were. Each year it got worse. I’d accidentally siphon from one of my witchy siblings and I’d get beat. I’d go to bed without supper. Alone in my own room because they didn’t want me near anyone else while they were vulnerable. They used to lock me in so that I couldn’t get out.

“When I turned eighteen, I thought I could be free. The twins had just been born and while I was angry, I tried to fuel that rage into getting away. I would have thought my father would welcome the chance to send me away, and instead he kept me from going to college. He said he didn’t trust me out in the real world. Said I had to prove myself first. Even though I’d gotten amazing grades in school… since I literally had nothing better to do considering everyone acted like I wasn’t there… he thought I wasn’t fit to be interacting with regular people.

“So I stayed a bit. Got a job. Several jobs, really… I could never hold onto one for very long. Someone always pissed me off, and I’d get myself fired. What was worse was when I found out that my dad was keeping my hard-earned money to make sure I couldn’t escape. When I turned nineteen, I insisted I wanted to go to college, like Josette. She was studying to become a doctor. 

“He said I finally could. Said I had to keep living at home so that he could keep an eye on me. I tolerated that. A tight leash was nothing I couldn’t handle. But I did do my part trying to get him to kick me out. I’d steal, slash tires, have as many random hook-ups as I could so he’d have to listen and be miserable. 

“But he never cracked. He never kicked me out. He just started focusing on the twins more. They were four when they started to display their ability for magic and well, that was something monumental. All my siblings were acting like the twins were heaven-sent. I was sick of it, and I tried to leave again. My dad and I got into a huge fight and I snapped. 

“The next day when he was out of the house, I killed my siblings. As many as I could. I had to leave Josette alive so that I could Merge with her. I beat Joey to death then drowned him in our pool. Hung Mikey and Meredith off the stairwell. Stabbed Jessica with my dad’s hunting knife. Left the house so bloody that when my dad came back… oh, the look on his face almost made up for the fact that Josette helped the twins escape.

“She said she’d Merge with me. The next day… May 10th, 1994… I got trapped in here. She had already put her magic away. My father put me in here. My sister watched with a small smile on her face, the entire time. I got lucky that there were still magical objects left over at the house. 

“I was able to set up a spell to tell me if anyone else ever entered the world. A spell to find out where the celestial event I need to harness the Ascendant’s power— in this case, the event is the eclipse— would be strongest. That’s it. That’s all I’ve managed to do, magically, other than learn spells. Learn anything I could to try and escape. And until you showed up here claiming to have Bennett blood… well, I’d lost hope.”

She didn’t even know what to say. ‘I’m sorry for what you went through’ was so shitty in retrospect. ‘You’re better off now’ wasn’t true at all. He wasn’t free. He wasn’t happy. It wasn’t his fault that he’d been born that way, and yet, he’d been treated as if it was. Though she wouldn’t condone the murder of his siblings, she had to admit that she would have expected that ages ago, considering how his family had treated him. 

He assumed her silence equated to disgust. He could see the shocked look on her face, and he took it to mean that she was appalled, and wouldn’t want to help him get out. “I’m gonna get supplies,” he said gruffly before walking out and leaving her alone.

Vivianna was left alone with her thoughts. Wondering what she would have done in his shoes. Probably the same thing. She recalled how kind her parents had been. How they did their best to be good to her and Julian even when they were very worried or scared about what was going to happen to them. They’d never had much, but they’d always made sure to have food on the table for them, and presents on their birthdays. No matter what face they bore, they loved their children, and ultimately had given their lives to protect them.

She started to feel ill after the first hour that he was gone. The pulsating in her side was getting worse, and she was starting to feel very hot. Her skin itched, and she started to shiver.

“Shit,” Kai said when he came back, and saw her twitching, her eyes closed. He felt over her forehead with the inner part of his wrist, and he knew she was running a fever. Which meant that one of her wounds had been infected. He had a feeling he knew which one it was.

“Vivi,” he said in her ear once he’d lifted her up, her backpack already strapped to his body. “I’m taking you to a hospital.”

He could have explained more, but she wasn’t responding. 

Vivianna woke up in a very different room, machines beeping around her. This time she had an IV in her left arm, and she had a pillow under her legs.

“What the hell?” she said groggily, looking around. “What happened?”

“You had a fever,” Kai told her as he came into the room. “I had to bring you to the hospital to do a procedure.”

“A procedure?”

“Yeah. When I stabbed you and took the knife out, you fell, and I guess a piece of glass was inside of you. Your wound got infected. I gave you antibiotics and took it out.”

“So you did surgery on me, basically.”

“A minor surgery. Can’t have you dying before you take me to the Bennett blood.”

She rolled her eyes. “What a wonderful motivating factor. How long has it been?”

“A day and a half, roughly. Tomorrow, you can shower, the wound won’t be at the same risk of infection. Pretty sure you should heal just fine after this.”

“Thank you,” she said quietly. He seemed confused, because he didn’t respond. Hardly acknowledged that he’d even heard her. She imagined he’d never had someone thank him in his entire life.

“So, how does it feel?” he asked, coming to sit at the foot of her bed.

“I don’t think I can move, but it doesn’t hurt as much.”

He smirked. “Not what I was gonna ask. How does it feel, knowing I’ve been inside you?”

She snorted. “Oh, wonderful, I got landed with the most inappropriate doctor in the entire prison world.”

“Not my fault we had to improvise. It’s your fault you keep getting sick.”

“It’s your fault because you shot me with an arrow and stabbed me and removed the knife. You literally said it was because you took out the knife that I got infected.”

“It’s better than anything you could have done to save your own skin. I had to save you twice because you didn’t know what to do.”

“You know what, maybe, what I should do, is make myself a passenger in your body. Then, I can give mine enough time to heal and just solve my own problems. You’ll wake up and be out of the prison world.”

“First of all, you don’t have enough strength to do that, Vivi, and second of all, I prefer to be the one inside people, not the other way around.”

“Stop calling me ‘Vivi,’” she said, gritting her teeth.

“What else am I supposed to call you? What did your family call you?”

“They called me ‘Vanna’ but you can’t call me that.”

“Then I’m going to call you ‘Vivi’ whether you like it or not. ‘V’ sounds so typical and crappy.”

“I’ll call you Malachai unless you call me Vivianna.”

“I guess you’ll be calling me Malachai then. I want to call you Vivi. You can’t stop me.”

She sighed harshly before closing her eyes. “I need to sleep.”

“No you don’t, you slept for over twenty-four hours already. You’re not tired.”

“I’m exhausted.”

“Fine, your loss. You can’t move anyway. I’m gonna go entertain myself.”

She cracked one eye open. “Doing what?”

“Video games, duh,” he said. “The magic I siphoned off of you is still there. Weak as shit but it exists. I’m gonna go find a machine and do something.”

She couldn’t beg him to stay. That would seem desperate, and Vivianna would never stoop to that level. She watched him go, and not long after, started hearing the sounds of some video game she didn’t recognize. When she heard him yelling later in triumph, she learned it was Mortal Kombat II. 

“Here you go,” Kai said, bringing her a singular jello cup to eat, even though he was carrying four for himself. “New York jello seems to be better” He popped one open, slurping the entire thing in just two gulps, chewing on it and smiling at her, which made the multi-colored chunks nearly fall out of his mouth.

“That’s disgusting,” she commented as she started to eat hers with gentle slurps. Apparently, there were no spoons.

“You had a brother, aren’t you used to this?”

“Julian never ate jello cups like that. And he never smiled while chewing. You’re gross.”

“Still saved your life, didn’t I? Which means you have to tell me where the Bennett blood is.”

“I’m not going to tell you. When I’m able to move, I’ll drive us both there.”

“Why won’t you just tell me?”

“Because you’ll leave without me.”

“Fair point. Can you at least tell me what state it’s in?”

“Maryland.”

“Is it further South of Baltimore or—?”

“Further South.”

“Okay. Then I’ll map out a route to Baltimore and once we’re there, you can drive.”

“Wait, am I not gonna drive until—?”

Kai looked amused that she even asked. “Hell no you aren’t. You can’t drive in this condition. And I’m not waiting much longer for you to be better. You have until the end of this week to improve your condition or else, you’re going to stay behind.”

“But if my condition doesn’t improve, it’ll be your fault.”

“Shut up, Vivi,” he said. “You have this week and that’s it.”

“Do you even have the Ascendant?”

He faltered. “Not yet.”

“Why not?”

“Let me rephrase. I have it, but it’s not complete. I’m missing one piece, and I haven’t been able to find it.”

“Then shouldn’t we get the Ascendant first?”

“No, we should—”

“Where is the best place to harness the power of the eclipse?”

He didn’t want to answer. “Malachai,” she said sharply, “where is the best place to harness the power of the eclipse?”

“Mystic Falls,” he said gruffly.

Vivianna raised her brows. “Wonderful. In Virginia. Which is the next state after Maryland. You’re expecting to get the Bennett blood then book it to get the last piece of the Ascendant without me. I’d be stranded and you’d go to Mystic Falls whenever you want with the pieces you need. Either that or you already have a completed Ascendant, and you intend to go to Mystic Falls right after you get the Bennett blood. I’m so glad I lied about where I put it.”

His eyes darkened. “You didn’t.”

She smirked. “Yes, I did. It’s not in Maryland. You’re gonna have to take me with you to get the Ascendant, whether you like it or not. You need to, or you’re never going to get out of here.”

Kai probably could have killed her then. It would have been satisfying. But it wouldn’t have yielded any Bennett blood, which meant she was right. He had to keep her alive.

“I’ve decided I officially hate you,” he said. “Congratulations.” He came up to her, gripping her throat. This time, she remained calm. “Just remember that your healthy condition relies entirely upon me. I’m the one who knows how to kill you in ways you can’t even dream of. So if I find out you’re lying, then I’m going to carve you into ribbons and turn you to ash.”

Her expression was unchanged. “Don’t dull your knife on me, Gemini.”

His lip twitched. “Sleep tight, Traveler. Don’t get too comfortable. I just might increase your dosage and leave you comatose so I can enter your mind.”

“Don’t test me,” she warned, “or you’ll find yourself being my host.”

She planned to stay awake the whole night. And then, when she’d felt tired, she pictured herself falling asleep with one eye open. But she could hear him snoring in the other room, and after a while, she allowed herself to drift off.

When she awoke, she felt much better. She was able to stand this time, and she tested herself by limping around the hospital in search of the bathrooms. She found them two hallways down, and relieved herself before going to the showers, finding a load of clean towels and some scrubs she could wear once she finished.

It had been forty-eight hours since her surgery, which meant she was good to shower. After calibrating the water, she closed the curtains and held onto the bar on the side to stabilize herself as she cleaned herself up completely. When she was done, she wrapped the towel around her body and moved toward a dry patch where she could change.

Except that she slipped, and fell face-first to the ground. She’d only just managed to hold her arms out to keep her nose from slamming into the floor. She let out a squeak of pain, realizing that she wasn’t strong enough to crawl to the nearest bench, which she could have used to hoist herself up.

“Fuck,” she hissed, waving her hand wildly at her necklace, which she’d left on top of the clean scrubs she intended to wear. “Damn it— fuck!”

She didn’t want to rely on him. She didn’t want him to see her like this. She felt almost shy, wondering what someone as attractive as Kai would think of her if he found her in only a towel. But she recalled her frustration with him and decided she needed to make him work for this partnership. She had to survive even if it meant relying on Kai Parker.

“KAI!” she screeched, hoping he’d hear her. “KAI!”

She heard nothing at first, and she cursed. “Damn it— KAI! BATHROOM!”

He had to know where the bathrooms were. Surely he had to, he hadn’t been asleep for so long. He must have explored the hospital.

Either he was taking his sweet time, or he couldn’t even hear her. She whimpered, trying to slide herself forward, but knowing that if she did that any further, the towel would slip off and she wouldn’t be able to fix it. “KAI!” she screamed again. “HELP!”

This time, she heard footsteps. The sort of rushed footsteps that indicated he was jogging, but not sprinting.

“I knew this was gonna happen,” he said as he came in, smirking in satisfaction, knowing he was right.

He pulled her up, and she instinctively grabbed onto him, holding on tight as she waited for her legs to stabilize beneath her. He tensed a bit, hearing the quietest groans of pain. He didn't like this. Seeing her hurt. Was it normal for him to be feeling regret? No, maybe he was just confused. He couldn’t feel regret, could he?

He was silent as she placed her head on his chest, trembling as she planted her uninjured leg down, then reached back to hold one of the outer bars. 

“Thanks,” she said, looking at the floor before wobbling over to her scrubs. “You can go now.”

“Oh, no, I actually think I’d be a lot better off right here so I can make sure you don't fall.”

“I don’t consent to you seeing me naked. Go away.”

He pouted, even if she couldn’t see it. He may be a murderer, but he wasn’t a predator, and he turned around before walking away from the bathroom. Once she heard his footsteps recede enough, she slipped on the clean scrubs.

Kai hated that he felt this way about her. Wanting to see her naked. He’d seen plenty of women naked before. He had hundreds of memories to rely on with all the women he’d slept with in his youth. And yet, he was drawn to her. He wished to see her in that context. To feel her. This would have been a lot easier if she wasn’t so good looking. He wouldn't be worried about her. He wouldn’t be feeling things for her. He may have lacked empathy and basic kindness, but lust had never faded.

And right now, all Kai Parker felt was lust.  

Vivianna would have been lying if she said she didn’t feel the same.

Chapter Text

Kai was a better doctor than Vivianna cared to admit.

The end of the week came, and she was well enough to move without pain. Whatever medications he had given her had done wonders. She had a very light scar that had healed as nicely as possible, considering how deep her wounds had been.

“Great,” said Kai, once he changed her bandages for the last time. “Tomorrow morning, you can take those off, and we can be on our way to Portland.”

“Why Portland?” she asked.

“Because that’s where my family lived.”

“But you didn’t find all the pieces there. What if—”

“Shut up,” he said, rubbing his temples. “I’m planning a route in my head. We should go back to where it all started.”

“Are you implying that you may have missed something the first time you were there?”

“Of course not. Only idiots miss something when they’re looking for the thing that can get them out of prison.”

Vivianna rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say. What’s this route?”

“I have to mark hospitals and places to eat and sleep first. We won’t get there in a day. We need to plan four, max, because you still need plenty of sleep. You may be able to move, but I won’t risk you randomly collapsing. If your condition takes a turn, we need to account for that. The last thing I need is you dying before you tell me where to find the Bennett blood.”

“That’s cute,” she said, crossing her arms. “You just don’t want to admit that you care about me.”

He scoffed. “I don’t give a shit about you. I just need something from you. This excessive planning wouldn’t be necessary if you were just healthy.”

“I would be healthy if you hadn’t attacked me.”

“I wouldn’t have attacked you if you’d just been useful and fessed up to what you had to offer in the first place.”

“Keep talking like that and I’ll just passenger myself right into you. I’m strong enough to do it, now.”

“Are you, though? This entire world is made with Spirit Magic. At least in the real world, there are parts that magic has never touched. Your shitty off-brand magic may be limited here. There isn’t even much you can do. You’re about as useless as they come.”

“There are loopholes,” she said. “Traditional magic uses herbs and spirits. So maybe I can’t really use that, but I can use other things.” (A/N: Bear with me, there’s not much about what Travelers can and can’t do so I’m coming up with it as I go).

“Oh, yeah? Like what?”

“Ancestral Magic, for one. The ashes of my parents soaked in their blood, and stored in a talisman, gives me something to channel, because I can then connect with my own people even after death. Traditional Magic witches will usually consecrate their Ancestors, and can only use their power in a certain area. Since we can’t stay in one place for too long, we have to adapt.”

“I don’t see how that’s better in any way. You weak bitches have to do spells in groups every time. The kind of major spells a single witch can do alone… if you even tried, you’d just sputter out and die.”

“I didn’t say it was better, I’m just explaining it all to you, for fuck’s sake. If you don’t want to hear it—”

“Go on,” he said, not wanting her to stop. “I like to know my enemies. I need to know what you are and aren’t capable of. And don’t lie, because even though you’re healed, I can fuck you back up really easily.”

She rolled her eyes. “I can do dark magic, and you can’t. You could try it, but dark magic draws on evil powers for evil purposes. It’s against what the Spirits want, and if you attempted it, they’d fight against you until it hurt you. It’s against the balance of nature even if you don’t commune with the Spirits. We upset the balance of nature— according to you witches— two thousand years ago. If we’re already out of the balance of nature and if we don’t rely on or communicate with any Spirits, then what are we really doing wrong? We’ve already been messed up for so long. We can use dark objects that are portable without it affecting us. Darker spells weaken us, but ultimately won’t cause the sort of damage that Traditional witches would get. Not to mention there’s a darker form of magic called Kemiya… it’s Arabian and deals with chemistry. Because of the Travelers’ connections with one another and our ability to use dark objects, Kemiya comes naturally to us.”

“The fuck is that?” asked Kai, never having hear of Kemiya. “What does magic have to do with chameleons?”

“Kemiya, you idiot,” she snapped. “Pay attention. Like I said— chemistry. Magic that destroys one element to create another. With Kemiya, you can turn real gold into real silver and real bronze. The very foundations of any piece of matter are altered. It doesn’t even violate the Laws of Conservation of Matter. It’s the most scientific that magic can get. The thing about Kemiya is that you can’t do it alone. But even just one other witch will suffice. What matters most there is the chemistry between them. If two witches have good chemistry… if they mesh really well together… they can accomplish anything. This is mostly— if not always— used to make dark objects. To reiterate, dark objects don’t hurt us. We can use them easily. Do you get it now, or do you need me to run through it again so it gets through your thick skull?”

Kai glared at her. “No need, Vivi, I understood the first time. Continue.”

“We can do Sacrificial magic as well. We can only sacrifice humans or other Travelers or animals, though, because they’re unaffected by Spirit Magic. Still, that’s a lot like what other witches do. We take the life of sacrificed creatures and turn it into energy that we can then use as fuel for our magic. Killing may be against the balance of nature, but again, if we’re already against it, it doesn’t quite matter much. Besides, we have to kill for a living. We’re all unphased by it.”

“So you’ve killed before,” said Kai, looking more interested. “What’s your body count? You could answer that in terms of murders or sexual partners, you know, since you never answered the medical question I asked.”

She rolled her eyes. “None of your business.”

“Tell me. You already know my body count. Four. So far, that is. That could change. Let me guess. One for each category. You can hardly call yourself a mercenary.”

She looked away from him, and he moved closer. “How many, Vivi?”

“Twenty-nine,” she whispered.

“Damn, you’ve had sex with twenty-nine—?”

“I’ve killed twenty-nine people!” she hissed. “I started working as a mercenary when I was seventeen. I needed a way to pay for my tuition and a way to survive and I just accepted jobs. It didn’t bother me so much, after the third one. It was just taking the life away from strangers. It didn’t mean anything.”

“You seem to regret it.”

“Of course I do. Some of them were bad, but not all. Some I agreed to kill because the paycheck was too big to resist. I’m not proud of it. I didn’t know any better. And I worry that even if I did, I still would have done it.”

Kai pursed his lips, as if trying not to laugh. “So you’ve killed twenty-five more people than I have, and you’re acting like I’m the bad guy.”

“I have never killed a child,” she said sharply. “And never someone I knew or cared about. You killed your own damn siblings. You can be mad at Jo for what she did, you can be mad at your parents, hell, maybe even that younger brother Joey who seems to have been old enough to know that neglecting you was wrong. But don’t tell me the others deserved it. They were kids, Kai, they didn’t know that what they were doing was wrong, they just saw your dad mistreating you and they went along with it because that’s what children do. They imitate their parents until they learn otherwise.”

“Don’t kid yourself, Vivi,” he said, leaning over her. “Maybe you didn’t kill any kids. Maybe you didn’t kill anyone you knew. But you’re just as bad as me. Probably worse… if you think about it.”

She gulped, knowing he was close enough to hurt her again. But he didn’t, and she was able to relax when he got up. “So,” he said, as if nothing had happened, “there has to be more magic you can do.”

“Connective Magic is the last of it,” she said, swallowing hard. “Centuries ago, some Travelers picked up a technique from a witch in the Kingdom of Norway, so that we could channel each other and augment our own power. According to the history archives, the spell we use for it is nowhere near as strong as the original spell created by that witch they learned it from, but that’s because she used Traditional Magic, and we can’t. It’s how we managed to do such powerful work together. We heightened each other’s power when channeling.”

“But now you’re the last Traveler,” he said. “So that won’t work anymore.”

“Right,” she admitted quietly. “None of it will work. My magic is going to be gone soon enough. It’s only a matter of time. Unless I find a jar of Traveler ashes waiting for me in the real world, I’m pretty much gonna turn back into a regular human.”

“And if someone broke the curse? Someone from the Gemini Coven?”

“That’s impossible, that curse was cast two thousand years ago.”

“But if they could, would you be able to do Traditional Magic again?”

“I guess I might be able to, but it would be pointless, because I’d have to learn a completely new style of magic and I’d still be mortal, not to mention I have no family to enjoy it with. There’s no benefit to me being a witch. The best I can do when I get out is to try to lead a normal life ‘til I die. Besides, why do you even care about breaking the curse? I’d be stronger than you if I had Traditional Magic.”

His lip twitched. “If I break the curse on you, will you tell me where the Bennett blood is?”

“Nice try,” she said with a scoff. “No.”

“You’re a bitch, you know that, right?”

“So are you, don’t flatter yourself.”

“You’re actually a stupid bitch, because you don’t realize the golden opportunity I’m offering you.”

“What, the opportunity to do magic I’ve never learned? Sounds wonderful. First of all, you don’t have your own magic, you can’t break that curse even if you tried. Second of all, you only say you’ll do it but as soon as you find out where the Bennett blood is, you’re gonna kill me and leave my body here to rot while you prance around in the real world bragging about how you killed the Last Traveler.”

“What’s one more body to the count? You’re the one who made a career of killing people.”

“It’s not like that was the ideal career for me.”

“Then what was?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I was in college, but I just kinda took whatever classes felt interesting to me. I knew it wasn’t going to last anyway. To have a career you need to have at least a bit of stability, and Travelers never do. I wanted to be a writer. Then an actress. A dancer, which my host body for the last three years definitely had the build for. I liked science, I could have been a teacher or a nurse or something. I don’t know. I never decided, because I knew I’d never get what I wanted anyway. Travelers don’t live to be very old. They’re constantly hunted and it’s rare for them to make it past their late twenties.”

“I was good at physics and math,” said Kai, reminiscing a bit. (A/N: Again, using the background I already created for him in Pernicious, bear with me). “I was majoring in engineering. If my asshole of a dad hadn’t kept me from leaving the state, I could have gone to MIT and CalTech. I got in. Instead, I was at Portland State University. Fuck those stupid vikings.”

“I’m surprised you actually tried hard enough in school to get into those places,” said Vivianna. 

Kai scoffed. “School was basically the only thing I could focus on. Studying used to be my escape. Everyone in my house ignored me, and when I was a stupid, naive kid, I used to think that if I did well in school, they’d think I was nice and disciplined and they’d let me play with my siblings. Didn’t go that way, but it was so easy for me, I just kept trying and at least it distracted me. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to be, but I was good with my hands. Good at building. I wanted to be an architect or an engineer. Instead, I’ve been stuck learning medicine, which hasn’t helped me kill myself in the slightest. I’m still here instead of dead.”

“You do know that medicine can’t do anything if magic is what’s keeping you alive, right?” she said a bit more gently. “You could mutilate your body in the worst ways, all textbook, but it wouldn’t yield any results, because Traditional Magic is what keeps you from escaping this punishment.” 

“Don’t have to remind me,” he muttered. “Whatever. I’m gonna go plan the route. You go around and eat whatever. Prepare some supplies or some shit, make yourself useful. Tomorrow morning, we leave. I’ll get a car of my choosing.”

Vivianna had felt lonely throughout the day. He was avoiding her, that much was obvious. Even though they weren’t with one another, their minds were making progress to bring them together. Kai couldn’t help but revert to the dirtiest scenarios, still remembering her in that towel, which he could have very easily ripped off of her. Even Vivianna was wondering what lurked beneath the ridiculous clothes he wore. There had to be something there. Supernaturals tended to be rather attractive. 

She’d gathered as much as she could. Bandages, syringes, medicine, bedsheets, pillows, clothes, practically anything they could ever need, all stuffed into the conveniently stored duffel bags with the hospital’s name on them. A lot of the ‘bedtime’ clothes consisted of scrubs, but Vivianna figured it could be worse. The last thing she needed was for there to be a shortage in pajamas and for Kai to insist they sleep naked.

She’d gone to bed that night missing Julian and Maria more than usual. She’d cried a bit, muffling it into a pillow so that Kai wouldn’t hear her. For some reason, he wasn’t snoring this time. Maybe he was sleeping on his stomach and couldn’t snore. Or maybe he wasn’t asleep at all. As curious as she was, she didn’t go and find the answer.

Kai woke up early to shower, and had gone to look through the supplies she prepared, finding himself impressed to see she’d made a list and put each thing into categories. She’d even added potential things they could get once they were on the road to make sure they were comfortable on their way to Portland.

“Vivi,” he chirped. “Wakey wake—” he stopped, suddenly, seeing blood all over the sheets. “Damn it!” He figured the wound on her leg may have opened from her straining to get all the supplies. But when he tore up the sheets, he realized that the origin of the blood was not from either of her wounds.

“What the fuck?!” she screamed, waking up when she felt the movement, and shooting off to the other end of the bed, thinking he’d been trying to creep under her covers. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“You’re bleeding,” he said simply, pointing down at the stain on the sheets. “A lot.”

She looked down, and her hands immediately went to her stomach. “Oh, shit,” she said, her face turning red. “Get out!”

“What the hell is your problem, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” he said, truly unfazed. “It’s just a period, jeez. Or are you embarrassed ‘cause you made a fucking mess?”

“Of course I’m embarrassed!” she said, getting up, holding the sheets tight around her so she wouldn’t stain anything else. 

“Don’t you females like… know when this is gonna happen to you?”

“I was in the body of another person for the last three years,” she reminded him. “I’ve been back in my own body for less than two weeks. I don’t know my cycle anymore.” She groaned, feeling a painful sensation in her core. “Great. The girl I was in before didn’t get cramps— the lucky bitch. Just— give me awhile, I need to clean up. Don’t keep staring at the blood spot like that, it’s weird!”

He held up his hands in surrender. “Don’t get all moody on me.”

“I’m always moody, don’t go along with stereotypes,” she muttered before heading to the bathroom.

She’d done her best to wash the sheets by hand, but the stains ran too deep, and there was still an orange-pink tint to them. She’d balled them up in frustration and thrown them away before peeling off her scrubs and going into the shower, doing her best to clean herself up thoroughly. She’d heard footsteps at one point, and had been about to snap at Kai when she heard them recede. When she exited the shower, she found a box. Peering inside it, she saw that he’d brought her pads and tampons of various sizes, as well as a jar of pills.

“Why did you get me all this stuff?” she asked, carrying the box back to her hospital bed. 

“‘Cause you were bleeding everywhere,” he said, between bites of a ham sandwich. “Kinda self explanatory.”

“You basically got me the hospital’s entire supply of period products.”

“Tampons can help plug up wounds and stop bleeding from other injuries. Helps me, too, don’t make it out to be something it isn’t. I don’t want you bleeding all over the car I got. We’re still starting to head to Portland today. And the medicine works for both of us. I don’t need you bitching the entire time we’re driving. By the way, this changes the whole trip, cause now, all this extra medicine is gonna make you drowsy. You’re not gonna be driving. Which means the trip might take five days, even though I planned for it to take only four.”

“Five days?” she squeaked. “This is already my twelfth day in this stupid prison world. How much longer is it gonna take for us to get what we need to get out?”

“We would have already been in Portland if you’d just healed faster, you know. Think, idiot, it took you three days to get from Virginia to here. A trip that should have taken you less than a day. It takes long when you’re the only one driving— you gotta stop and recharge. I may not be able to die but I get tired, and if I’m gonna be the only one pulling weight here, we’re gonna stop and rest. If you want to speed up the process, tell me where the damn Bennett blood is.”

“I’m not telling you anything,” she said. “We’re getting the last piece of the Ascendant first.”

Kai gritted his teeth a bit. “Fine. Get a few bags. We’re gonna start loading up the car.”

He’d acquired an SUV, which fit all the bags, and left room for more supplies they could need. When they were buckled up, he looked at the map, making sure he knew where to go. Vivianna peeked over, seeing he’d color coded different routes to take, if, for example, when a fork in the road came, they weren’t hungry yet, and were okay with not stopping to eat until later. It was as if he’d planned for anything and everything that could happen to them. If the urge to use the bathroom hit them at a random moment, there was already a prepared detour to get to a rest stop, and a way to get back on the main highway without delay. She would have complimented him, but she opted to keep her mouth shut. 

“Today is day one of the trip to Portland,” he muttered aloud. “A.K.A. Day twelve of you being in this place. Since we’re just starting out today, we’ll do two five-hour trips. First from here to East Orange, New Jersey. We’ll stop, eat, go to the bathroom, that sort of thing. Rest a bit. If we need to do any of that earlier I have a detour ready. Then after we rest, we’re going another five hours to DuBois, Pennsylvania. Same process, except this time, we go to sleep. Wake up early on day thirteen and repeat the process from DuBois to South Bend, Indiana, then Newton, Iowa, and finally, Kearney, Nebraska, where we’ll sleep for the night. If we don’t make it there, we’ll find another place to sleep, ‘cause that’s around… seventeen hours total of driving. Day fourteen… from Kearney to Laramie, Wyoming, then Salt Lake City, then Boise, Idaho. Another approximate seventeen hours of driving. Day fifteen, we push from Boise to Portland, and should be there by afternoon. Accounting for any delays… we should still get to Portland by day fifteen, just in the evening.”

She managed the courage for a compliment this time. “You’re really good at planning ahead. This is… really well thought out.”

He looked at her as if she’d suddenly sprouted two extra heads and tails, and didn’t respond. “If you feel like ever taking a turn, let me know, and we just might make it to Portland by the end of day fourteen, if you’re okay with starving a little bit. I don’t care, I can’t die of starvation, and I’m used to it.”

“Used to it?” she asked. “I would think with the abundance of food in here, you wouldn’t starve.”

“The food doesn’t replenish the way you think it does. If I lived in every single part of the world, eventually, I wouldn’t have anything to eat. I’m guessing it replenishes after a few years but definitely not every day. Some days weren’t good. I struggled to do a lot. To get up and continue living. Doing something— anything. So I’d sit alone, depressed, hurting myself and not eating. Thought it might kill me but it never did.”

“No one should have to go through that,” she said quietly as he started to drive. “This… everything you’ve endured… that’s horrible. I get that you did something wrong but this is a thousand times worse than that. If they hadn’t mistreated you… I don’t think you would have killed your siblings, even if you are hard-wired to be a sociopath. I… I’m sorry. I don’t really know what else to say.”

Kai’s eyes flickered over to her, and he felt almost uncomfortable. Why was this giving him a strange, warm feeling in his chest? Was he about to have a heart attack?

Or was she just the key to ridding him of the sociopathy that had plagued him his whole life? He didn’t want to think about it, but he realized that if she were to figure out a spell, she could take away his sociopathy. 

A/N: Hello all! Now that you have gotten to know Vivi and Kai's dynamic a bit, I want to ask (since I'd asked previously before I published this story)— how do you guys want this to proceed? It can be hero-to-villain (ish) like Pernicious was (where my fem OC Amelia essentially adapted to Kai’s agenda and became evil, though through the reader’s perspective, she remains the central character and hero, just with very different and more sinister motivations).  BUT here, there is a perfect opportunity for a redemption arc for Kai because let's face it, he couldn't have one in Pernicious, not with all the issues he and Amelia had with the Gemini Coven. Here, a redemption arc is more possible, and it could be cool, maybe. So... let me know what you think! Comment for more :)

Chapter Text

A/N: Most people have already stated that they want a redemption arc, so we’ll go with that! Thank you for your input, everyone. 

Kai was annoying.

Vivianna wanted to stab a knife into her ears and blow her eardrums so that she wouldn’t have to listen to him. Was there really any need to blast the radio and yell the lyrics of songs at the top of his lungs?

“You’re so boring!” he said, waving his hand out the window as they zoomed down the highway. “This is an iconic song.”

“You say that about every damn song."

“I guess your ‘nice-ness’ was a one time thing, huh?”

“I was honest that I feel bad for what you’ve gone through. I’m sorry about it. And I can’t imagine being in your shoes. But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna be fine with you howling in my ears.”

He winked. "You would be fine with me howling in your ears if it was in a different context. Besdies, driver gets control of the radio, so if you don’t want it on, then you have to take a turn driving. And judging from the look on your face, you feel like puking. So, driving is a no-no for you.”

Vivianna rolled her eyes. “It’s the first day of my period, okay, the cramps are always at their worst for me.” She checked the time. “We need to make a pit stop soon.”

“Why?” he asked, peeking over at his watch. “It’s only been three hours.”

“I need to change my… you know. Thing with a string.”

“We’re all adults here, you can call it a ‘tampon.’”

“Okay, fine, I need to change my tampon.”

“But can’t you go like, eight hours without changing it?”

“I’ve always done it every three. I’d rather not end up with Toxic Shock Syndrome. It’s just safer that way. Besides… I’m hungry.”

Surprisingly, he didn’t complain about this. He took his hands off the pedals and kept only one hand on the wheel, allowing the car to glide as he held up the map. He noted where he’d marked a potential detour, then, at the next crossroads, turned left.

“There’s a Mexican food place nearby,” he said. “Can you make anything in that category?”

“Uh… yeah, but it depends how long you want to spend there. I know several recipes.”

“How about you make guacamole and I make tacos?”

“Alright. Do you actually know how to do that?”

“Yes. Chef Kai has a reputation for being a good cook.”

“Wow, it’s almost like the ‘Chef’ in the name already implies you’re competent in the kitchen, Malachai.”

“You didn’t call me ‘Malachai’ the other day that you slipped in the shower.”

She made a face. “Because I needed to get your attention. If that’s not a name you’re used to responding to, then you might not have come so fast.”

“Hah, that’s what she said.”

Vivianna glared at him. “Not funny, I could have died.”

“Your fault, you know that, right? You could have asked me to supervise your shower. It never would have happened.” He pulled up to the restaurant, and checked his watch again. “Alright, we’re still about two hours from New Jersey, so let’s get to it quickly. You go do your thing in the bathroom, and I’m gonna heat up the grill.”

If there was one interest they both shared, it was cooking. Vivianna had come back out of the bathroom, hands very clean so that she could start chopping the tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and some of the chilis there. She left the avocados for the end. Across the way, he was already working on the meat, expertly sliding the cleavers over it to make small bits. Simultaneously, he was heating up tortillas, and humming to himself. They each had their own rhythm, and looked relaxed with the tasks they'd been set. Creating was their escape for this moment. 

Vivianna found that she enjoyed it. The tacos had been delicious, and Kai had apparently really liked the guacamole.

“The fuck did you add that it tastes like that?” he asked. At first, she thought he didn’t like it, but then, she realized that his expression indicated being pleased. Which made her figure that his question was really supposed to be, ‘How did you make it taste so good?’ Except, of course, he wouldn’t word it that way, because then he’d be complimenting her.

“Variations of chilis, plus the usual stuff. A bit of coriander and almost no salt. The salt I did use though was sea salt, not the other types.”

“Hmm…” he looked over at her as he licked the guacamole off his fingers, causing her to quickly look away.

“So, I was thinking, I could drive the rest of the way to New Jersey,” she said. “If you tell me what routes to take.”

“That kinda defeats the purpose of you driving, doesn’t it? That’s supposed to be for me to rest and I can’t really rest if I’m being co-pilot. Either look at the map now and memorize the route or just let me keep driving.”

She sighed. “Fine, you keep driving then. Where are we gonna sleep once we get to Pennsylvania?”

“Marked an inn near the freeway so we don’t have to go too deep into town. Should have food and other stuff there. That way, as soon as we’re ready tomorrow morning, we push six hours to South Bend. Though, I’m guessing we’ll make a stop at the three hour mark so you don’t get TSS and go berserk on me.”

“I’m glad that you find my worries for my own health so amusing.”

“I could give you a hysterectomy if you asked me to. I know how. Then you’d never have to deal with periods again.”

“But then I wouldn’t be able to have kids.”

Kai tapped the side of his head. “Right… isn’t that how you can make more Travelers? Have a few kids, teach them magic?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know if it would work that way. Most Travelers married other Travelers— rarely humans. Those who did wouldn’t let their kids use magic so that way they never had to get involved in the conflicts with the witches. If I had a kid with someone, there isn’t even any guarantee they’d get the gene responsible for Traveler Magic.”

“Hmm.” He smirked. “Sucks for you then.”

“You really love rubbing in the fact I’m the last one, huh?”

“Can you blame me? You guys are the reason I’m like this. I like knowing that I’m so close to the last one… able to eradicate the entire species if I ever feel like it.”

She cast him a cheeky smile. “Paws off, Parker, or you’re gonna be my host.”

“You keep threatening me about it but you don’t do it. Why?”

“Because you know where the last piece of the Ascendant might be. Being your host doesn’t exactly grant me access to everything you’ve ever known. I would be at a loss. Just like you’ll be at a loss if you kill me. You’ll never find the Bennett blood.”

“Maybe I could go after your pals in Mystic Falls. They might know.”

Vivianna remained calm. “They wouldn’t know, remember?”

“Right.” He narrowed his eyes a bit. “So what is it about these people that you’re so concerned with their anonymity? You won’t let slip their names.”

“Maybe because I want to keep them out of matters that don’t concern them. Any issues are between you and me. We’re the ones whose ancestors have been feuding for thousands of years. They don’t know how to exit the prison world. We have to figure it out. Leave them out of it. They’re not bad people. If they were, I’d have brought them with me. I wouldn’t have let them out of my sight.” 

Kai tapped his hand against the table, causing a slight rattling sound as his rings pressed against the surface. “What are they? Supernaturals, clearly, if they were on the Other Side.”

“Not telling. You’ll have to guess.”

“Definitely not Travelers, otherwise you would have had to come together. Other witches… no, you would have wanted them for backup. Mmm… werewolves. They must be werewolves, huh? They’re the least likely to be involved in witch business out of all supernaturals.”

She quickly looked away, wanting him to think he was right. “I didn’t say anything about how involved they were.”

He smirked, taking the bait. “That’s cute. No fucking wonder you left them behind… they’re aggressive, huh? Thank god nights here aren’t on a full moon, otherwise they’d be suffering.”

She just shrugged. “Are you done eating? We should get back on the road.”

“Sure thing, Vivi. Let me just take a leak.”

He went to the bathroom, and she took the time to clean up their plates, going to the sink and starting to wash them. 

He came back, and leaned in the doorway, just watching her scrubbing away. “What are you doing?” he asked. “No one comes here. No one is ever gonna come here but us. Why would you waste time washing plates?”

“It just felt like the right thing to do,” she said.

“What, because you’re a mercenary, you feel like you have to atone for it? Here’s a tip, Vivi, just embrace it. There’s nothing wrong with being a little twisted.”

She scoffed. “If I want to wash dishes, I will wash dishes.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “Don’t get all snappy with me. If you want to be useful, wash the car. Oh, but wear a bathing suit or something. Make it sexy.”

“I’m never washing the car. Figure it out yourself.”

They were on the road again in ten minutes. Kai had gone back to blaring music and singing at the top of his lungs. The journey wasn’t bad, considering he’d chosen roads with the least amount of stoplights, for whenever they weren’t on the highway. Not many of them passed through mountains, either, which was rather nice. Otherwise, Vivianna would have been car sick.

They stopped after another three hours had passed, only briefly using the bathroom then continuing onward to put gas.  It was already past sunset when they arrived in DuBois, Pennsylvania, at the inn.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” said Kai angrily, staring at the tiny shack labeled ‘INN.’ “This thing is NOT an inn— the fuck?”

“We’ll have to make do,” said Vivianna, going inside and seeing that it had a small kitchen, a bathroom, and just a bed in the corner of the room. “Fuck, they really didn’t put any effort into this.”

“We should drive further into town,” said Kai. “This isn’t gonna cut it.”

Vivianna turned to look at him, seeing that he looked absolutely exhausted. “Somehow, I don’t think we’ll make it there. It’s fine. Go and sleep. I’ll start learning the route from DuBois to South Bend. I’ll drive in the morning.”

“Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? You’re not gonna rest and you expect to drive in the morning?”

“I rested all day today. Managed to sleep even though you were performing an entire concert in the driver’s seat. I’m not that tired. I can go longer periods of time without sleep. I’m used to it.”

Kai didn’t argue, he went over to the bed, not even bothering to remove his shoes before collapsing on it and starting to snore.

Vivianna peered through the different cupboards of the kitchen, looking for ingredients to make coffee. She found a small tea kettle and started to boil water, gripping her necklace and whispering, “Ticho,” to make sure the whistling didn’t disturb Kai.

He could have probably slept through a hurricane. She’d accidentally knocked down a pot that was on the stove, and he hadn’t even flinched. The sound of the toilet flushing was unbelievably loud, and still, he didn’t stir. 

She’d gone to sit on the floor beside the bathroom, hating that there weren’t any armchairs. There was space on the bed beside Kai, but she’d rather not be so close to him.

She placed the map over her lap, starting to follow along with her eyes and her pointer finger. Her eyes kept flickering up to Kai, who had turned to face her in his sleep, mouth wide open and his arm hanging off the bed.

She’d just been drilling the route into her head when she heard him stop snoring. She thought he’d woken up, but when she gazed up, his eyes were squeezed tight, and he seemed to be twitching.

“No,” he muttered, wiggling his fingers. “No, don’t… not fair…”

She got to her feet, and went to nudge his shoulder. “Malachai. You’re talking in your sleep.”

His hand had swiped up, and suddenly wrapped around her throat. When he sat up, his eyes were still closed. “I’m gonna fucking kill you, Josette,” he sneered. He started to siphon, and she let out a yelp, slapping his hand desperately.

“Stop it!” she said, slapping his face. “I’m not Josette—”

When he didn’t let go, she raised her leg, and kicked him right in his crotch, so hard that he let go immediately, and yelled out in pain.

“Motherfuck—” he swore and careened over the side of the bed, tucking his legs up. “Oh… what the hell?”

“You were having some kind of nightmare,” she said, jumping back and massaging her neck. “Called me Josette and started choking me.”

He groaned. “So you thought to take away my ability to have kids? Oh… fuck you…”

She grumbled. “It was either that or let you kill me. You were siphoning! Watch—”

He’d tried to stand up, but had tripped on his own shoelaces, which had come undone with all the moving around. His head slammed into the kitchen counter, and he let out another grunt of pain.

“Oh, shit,” she said, seeing his forehead was bleeding. “Idiot—” she went over to him, making him sit down. “Stop moving, stop—”

“Get off of me,” he said irritably, his voice heavy with sleep.

“I’m gonna heal you,” she said, putting her hand on his head. “Can’t have you dying before we find that stupid Ascendant.”

He gripped her arm as she pressed her thumb onto the wound. She took the necklace in her other hand, whispering, “Zhojit.” 

Kai relaxed his hold, and shut his eyes. “Better,” he muttered. “No pain.”

“Come on,” she said, lifting him up. “Back to sleep.” She moved him onto the bed, removing his shoes this time. “I learned the route. I’ll drive in the morning.”

“Whatever,” he said, turning on his side.

“Are you gonna tell me what the nightmare was about?”

“Is that a requirement?”

“No, but I’m curious, considering you were gonna murder me.”

“Jo told my dad about the money I stole to try and get the hell away from Portland,” he said, not facing her. “He took it and hid it with magic so I wouldn’t be able to get it back. She told me it was for my own good.”

She frowned. “Oh… I’m sorry.”

“Why the hell are you sorry? It’s not like you made them do it.”

“That’s just horrible. Who the hell stabs their own sibling in the back like that? Your dad was being abusive and you just wanted a better life.”

Kai snorted. “Yeah… it’s whatever. I’m gonna sleep. Make sure the route is ingrained in your mind ‘cause I’m not playing co-pilot.”

She just nodded, and within seconds, he was snoring again.

The next day had been more peaceful. After going out early to look for a gas station, then returning to make them breakfast, Vivianna had driven them to South Bend, giving Kai some extra time to sleep. After they had their lunch, he’d driven to Newton, Iowa, and they’d only made a pit stop for gas and a bathroom break before continuing to Kearney, Nebraska, where they called it a night.

The day after that, Vivianna had fully intended to drive more. After getting more fuel, she’d driven them to Laramie, Wyoming. Then, to Salt Lake City, where they’d stopped for a bit longer.

“Good progress,” said Kai. “I’m all well rested. I could drive to Boise, Idaho while you sleep, and then, you can take us the rest of the way to Portland.”

“I’ve never been to Utah,” she said, looking around the small town they’d gotten food at. “I guess there isn’t that many exciting things to do in Salt Lake City, but it was always on my bucket list. The state capitals.”

“Probably a hell of a lot more fun in 2012 than in 1994. Almost twenty years of improvements. This version of Utah isn’t very fun. Are you trying to see sights or something? ‘Cause, newsflash, that isn’t gonna happen.” He stopped, however, seeing a nearby garden area with a statue. “Heh, I’m gonna climb that.”

“Childish of you to chastise me for wanting to see the sights, and then you run off to climb statues,” she said, crossing her arms as he leapt up. 

“This is the National Pony Express Monument,” he said. “I have to climb. There’s a whole metal horse waiting. There’s a camera in my bag, you should take a picture.” He climbed onto the highest point of the statue, getting onto the shoulders of a metal man that was on top of the horse.

Vivianna sighed, reaching into the bag and finding the disposable camera. She held it up, snapping a picture. “There, happy? You should get down.”

He ignored her, holding his hand up. “We should do magic to make these horses move or something. No one’s gonna miss—”

She watched as he slipped off, crashing to the ground. She rushed over to check on him and gave a gasp, seeing his leg bent and an odd angle. His head was bleeding all over again, and he seemed to have broken his wrist too.

“The fuck is wrong with you?” she asked. “If you know you’re accident prone—”

He coughed, patting his chest with his good arm. “Ahh… doesn’t matter. Just snap my neck.”

“I’m sorry… what?”

“Snap my neck. Kill me, and I’ll wake up in a few hours, good as new. No point in you doing another Healing Spell. Your weak ass magic can’t heal all this at once.”

“Malachai, I’m not gonna—”

“Kill me, Vivi. I trust dying a lot more than I trust you healing me.”

She made a face, before lifting him up, and coming behind him to grab his neck. “Is this some sort of test?”

“How about it be a test of how good you are at following instructions? Break my damn neck, it doesn’t matter.”

She sighed, before swiping diagonally as hard as she could, breaking his neck and killing him instantly.

She first took the time to set his leg and wrist back in position, then hoisted him up, managing to drag his body back to the car, where she put him in the back seat, buckled up. Shaking her head, she started to drive them to Boise.

He woke up about fifteen minutes later.

“Damn, you carried me to the car and everything,” he said with a smirk, spreading his arms over the backseat and wiggling his eyebrows at her through the rearview mirror. “Kinda hot.”

“Shut up,” she said in annoyance. “I just had to kill you. I didn’t want to do that.”

“How do you feel, knowing I just added one more to your body count? I could add one more in the other category too, if you really want.”

She turned red, and kept her eyes off of the mirror. “How about no.”

“When was the last time you got laid?”

“Does it really matter?”

“Yeah, it does. Come on. Tell me.”

“It’s not your business. Just shut up and let me drive. You can take us to Portland after we get to Boise. You’ll know what house to pull up to.”

“I’m gonna take a wild guess and say it’s been a long time since you had anyone in your pants. I can’t imagine it was easy, with your brother always there.”

“It wasn’t that. Julian was married, I had a lot of alone time. I was just never really in my body for long periods of time. I would never, ever use another’s body for that. It was enough of a violation to be in it for three years. To take advantage of that… it was so wrong.”

“When was your first time being a Traveler in another’s body?”

“When I was twelve.”

He started to think. “And how old are you now?”

“Twenty-two.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Hang on. You’ve never been with anyone, have you?”

She gritted her teeth. “That’s not what I said.”

“Oh… no wonder you were so shy about relaying your sexual history. You don’t have one. That’s funny… really, it is. How did I get more action throughout my life than a Traveler who went literally everywhere in the world?”

“I really don’t want to talk about this. Let’s do literally anything else.”

He seemed satisfied with the information he’d gotten. He leaned back, humming. “Alright, Vivi, keep your secrets. I did want to ask though… maybe we should do something.”

“Excuse me?” she said, thinking he was implying something else.

“Naughty girl, Vivi, that’s not what I’m talking about. I have an idea. Since your magic is weak, and mine is nonexistent unless I suck it out, maybe we should do one of those Connect-y Spells for channeling. Like, you’d augment your power while channeling me, which gives me more to siphon.”

“I don’t think that’s gonna work. You’re not a Traveler.”

“I don’t think I have to be. I’m a siphoner. And you’re the one that said the first siphoners were Travelers. I’m like this because of a Traveler spell. It’s the least you could do.”

“You do know this won't let you see into my mind, right?”

“Doesn’t matter. If I need to perform an emergency spell, your weak magic isn’t gonna cut it. I need you to have more power for me to use. Is that a problem, Vivi?”

“I guess not.”

Kai leaned over to the front seat, his breath fanning over her neck. “Guess we’re connected in more ways than one, huh?”

She had to force down the dirty fantasy that came to mind with those words.

Chapter Text

They made it to Boise at the end of day fourteen.

“There,” said Vivianna once they got to the next place that they’d be spending the night. “Tomorrow is May 16… a Monday, here in 1994. A Wednesday in 2012.”

“Who cares?” he said, holding his hand up. “Days don’t matter here.”

“You may have lost track of time, but I don’t want to let myself get to that point. I need to know what day it’ll be when we get out of here.”

“Why does it matter so much to you?”

“I don’t know, it just does.”

Kai rolled his eyes. “Well, this place has plenty of rooms to choose from. So let’s do this Connective Magic Spell and get to our respective beds. Unless, of course, you want to watch me sleep again.”

“I was not watching you sleep,” she said in annoyance. 

“You’re cute when you sleep, you make this pouty face and curl up like you’re protecting your little heart or something.”

“You’re weird.”

“What, don’t tell me no one’s ever called you ‘cute’ before.”

“What are you doing?” she asked, waving her hand around. “Like, what the hell is this? Are you trying to flirt with me or is that actually the only way you can interact with someone without getting the urge to kill them?”

“Let’s put it this way,” Kai said. “I flirt because I like seeing you pretending like you don’t enjoy it. Happy?”

She looked away. “Far from it.” She rolled up her sleeves and went to sit at a nearby table. “I’ll say the incantation. You just have to hold onto my hand. It’ll feel weird at first, but then, you’ll start to feel your own power growing. We can test it on a Locator Spell for the missing piece of the Ascendant. That way, we can confirm it’s actually in Portland.”

He came to sit across from her, holding out his hands for her to take. She put them together, then placed her palm over it, her other hand going to her necklace. 

“Zapojit vztah posílit,” she murmured. “Mocnost napájení. Zapojit vztah posílit…”

Kai could definitely feel something happening. There was a tingle in his fingertips, which started moving up his hands. He felt it sliding up his shoulders, then down his chest, before concentrating over his heart. He could see Vivianna scrunching her eyes shut tightly, as if the spell was hurting her.

“Vivi,” he said in a warning tone. “Don’t overexert yourself. I can’t have you dying.”

But the truth was, it hadn’t become only about his need for her knowledge. For the first time in nearly two decades, he wasn’t alone. He was with someone who made good conversation (in the sense that she wasn’t boring, and always had something to say about his actions). She was a good cook and an even more efficient companion. And looking at her wasn’t exactly a burden. She was good-looking, and his desire was only getting more and more heightened.

“Vivi,” he said more sharply, feeling her grip on his hands tightening. “Are you ignoring me?”

At last, she stopped chanting. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I just had to break the barrier. The spell didn’t want to take. You’re not a Traveler. It sensed that. But channeling my necklace, I was able to bypass it. It at least ensures I won’t run out of magic while we’re here. It’s better than nothing.” 

“So it worked, then?”

“I think it did. Do you have the rest of the Ascendant accessible? I need that for the Locator Spell.”

He brought it out of his jacket pocket, setting it on the table. “Okay, put your hand over it,” she said. He did so, and she removed her necklace, setting it over the back of his hand. Her own hovered above the stack, and she chanted, “Zjistit lokalizovat úlomek, nalézt umístit stoupající zlomek.” 

She saw flashes. A house covered in blood. A staircase leading up to a room in the corner. Baseball cars. A photograph of Kai and a girl she didn’t recognize in matching sweaters. A zoomed in focus on the back wall of the cabinet the picture rested on.

He’d apparently seen it, too. “That’s my room,” he said. “The piece is either in the back of the picture frame, or behind the cabinet. The other pieces… I found them all together. That clever bastard… my dad separated it on purpose. That cabinet is probably the heaviest bit of furniture in my room. I never would have been able to move it. My dad, though, easily could lift it up with magic. That must be it.”

“So we’re still driving to Portland,” she said, checking the time. “If you’re not tired, we could start to drive. But maybe we should actually sleep.”

“Hell no, I’m not driving right now. I’m gonna shower. I haven’t showered since Kearney. This place better have a nice shower or I’m suing.”

“You do realize you can’t sue a place with no people running it, right?”

“Do you really have to be that much of a buzzkill? Jeez. Maybe they have some alcohol in here so I can forget you said that.”

He went into the kitchen area. “Score!” He brought out several bottles of Zima, and tossed one to her, which she barely caught. “Come on, drink, you were named after it.”

Vivianna raised a brow. “I wasn’t named after an alcoholic beverage, but alright.” She popped it open, and took a sip. “Are you sure you should be drinking before showering? What if you slip and fall and I have to snap your neck while you’re naked so you’ll heal?”

He winked. “Why, do you want to see me naked? That could be arranged. I’m sure there’s a room in here big enough for—”

“Ew, no, shut up,” she said, acting like she wasn’t slightly considering it. “I’m gonna go find a room and go to sleep if you’re just gonna end up acting weird.”

“Suit yourself, I’m great in bed.”

She cast him a cheeky smile. “The only people who feel like they have to say that all the time are the people who have to compensate for something they lack in the downstairs area.”

“You wouldn’t know, though, would you?”

She ignored him, and trudged upstairs.

Apparently, the room she chose was off-limits.

“Hey,” he said loudly, coming in with only a towel wrapped around his waist once he was done showering. “I wanted this room.”

“There are rooms identical to it,” she grumbled, not opening her eyes. “Did you really need to have this one?”

“Yes, I saw it from outside and I knew I wanted it.”

“You didn’t call dibs.”

“I don’t need to call dibs. Come on. Get up or I’ll sleep next to you.”

“Out of all the fucking rooms in this inn, you had to pick the one I’m already resting in?” She sat up, and quickly covered her eyes. “Malachai, this isn’t a fucking pool deck, put on some clothes!”

He came closer to her. “What, you have an issue with what I’m wearing?”

“I have an issue with the fact that you aren’t wearing anything.” She scrambled to her feet, rushing out of the room.

“Oh, so dramatic!” he said, laughing after her. “Come on Vivi, it’s just skin, nothing wrong with that.”

She didn’t answer him, and he rolled his eyes.

He found that she’d chosen a different room, as far from his as possible. Like the asshole he was, he walked over to it, while only wearing his underwear and pants. 

“Again?” she shrieked when he walked in. “Do I look like a photographer for Calvin Klein? Leave me alone, I want to sleep!”

“Why the hell do you look so panicked? You know, Vivi, it’s perfectly fine for you to hate me and still want to know what I look like shirtless.”

“Why would I just give you what you want?” she asked, holding her shirt up to cover her eyes. “You haven’t been laid in eighteen years and I’m supposed to just bend over backwards and do you a service?”

He pursed his lips. “Well, that would be really nice of you, you know…”

“Hell no. Either get out of my room or I’m gonna kill you and go to Portland without you.”

“If you want a ‘no strings attached’ arrangement, we can totally do that, I don’t mind.”

“Stop talking, oh my—” she briefly uncovered her eyes, and frowned. “How the hell did you get that?”

“Oh, this?” he gestured to a scar on his abdomen. “Mugging. The dude stabbed me after I refused to give him my wallet.”

“Damn. You got off easy.”

“Easy? You think that’s easy?”

She lifted the side of her shirt, revealing a similar scar, only more jagged. “That’s from when I got mugged. Dude slashed upwards. I nearly died, but Julian and Maria managed a spell to save me.”

He gestured to a scar on his shoulder. “Had to get surgery cause I tore a muscle playing baseball.”

She held up her wrists, revealing some old marks that looked like she’d been bound tightly. “Got kidnapped by some witches when I was eighteen. They questioned me for information ‘cause they couldn’t get into my mind. The one benefit of being a Traveler… getting into our heads is incredibly hard. We have a far easier time doing it to other people.”

He turned so that his back was to her, and managed to point at a crooked scar on his shoulderblade. “My dad and I got into a physical fight and he knocked me down the stairs to the basement. Had wood splinters that needed to get removed one by one. Probably one of the worst injuries I’ve had.” He gestured at a smaller scar visible on her back. “And that one, I left on you. From the surgery.”

“You also left the one on my leg,” she said. “My legs have a bunch of other scars, mostly from being a kid who couldn’t sit still.”

“Any of them come from being a mercenary?”

“I’m efficient enough that I don’t usually get more than small scratches. But there’s one on my chest from getting burned with a hot poker by a victim I was trying to get rid of.”

“Let’s see it.”

She made a face. “No, I’d have to take off my bra for that.”

“Excellent. Show me.”

“In your dreams.”

He winked. “I’ll be sure to dream about you tonight. ‘Cause I already know you’ll be dreaming of me.” 

She hated when he was right.

She’d been plagued that night with dreams she couldn’t get rid of. One after the other, Kai appeared in them, and it made her so angry. Because he was exactly the same as he was in real life. Making rude comments, shoving her aside if she didn’t do something right. And still, there were those moments when he was gentle with her, and said something that, at least in her dream, made her lean into every kiss he offered. It didn’t go further than that, as she wasn’t sure what exactly came next. But he’d appeared shirtless. And she’d taken the opportunity to run her hands over his body.

“Stupid,” she muttered to herself as she showered the next morning. “He hates you. You hate him. He’s insufferable and immature. You only need him to get out of here.”

Kai was having a similar issue. He hated that she wouldn’t leave his mind. He was accustomed to a ‘one and done’ agreement with sexual partners. One night stands, and never again. Was it the fact that he hadn’t had sex in eighteen years? Was that why Vivi’s face kept coming up even when he wasn’t trying to think about her? 

“We’ll never trust each other,” he said in his head as he was getting dressed and ready to drive to Portland. “She’s a stuck-up brat who wants things done her way. She’s not worth it. We’re not gonna talk ever again once we’re out of here.”

Still, there was a different sensation. One he couldn’t place. He worried about her getting hurt again. He pretended that it was because he would be too annoyed to be her ‘doctor’ again. But as he recalled the faces she’d made, how miserable she’d been after he’d injured her, he felt like preventing it. He didn’t like seeing her that way. He didn’t like knowing that she was suffering. 

He’d suffered a lot. And though he could give less of a shit about strangers, he couldn’t seem to be as apathetic with Vivianna. Even just seeing the scars he’d left on her, he felt bad. She was clearly uncomfortable with the marks that had been left on her body. He imagined that was why she’d never been intimate with anyone. Someone, at some point, had made her feel inadequate, and now, she didn’t feel like she could remove her clothes without being judged for it.

Why did she have to be cute? He could still feel lust and attraction and he despised it. Because he knew that was as far as it went. Slight concern. But never love. Not even as a friend. She was probably the nicest person he’d had in his life. His siblings were always following along with whatever his dad said. His peers were afraid of him. Employers got sick of him very easily. 

And she’d just apologized. Apologized for what he went through like it was the most normal thing in the world. To express her condolences for someone she hardly knew. That meant something. It at least made her worthy of respect. Worthy of trust, even. 

Except he couldn’t trust her. He liked things done on his terms. He wanted to know where the Bennett blood was already so he could plan ahead. And she was withholding that information, along with the truth about who her companions were. He figured they must be werewolves, but what if she was just that good at lying, and they were actually Travelers, too? 

Trust, at least, didn’t wipe away those feelings of desire. He could feel distrust. And at the same time, he could feel like he wanted— needed— to have her. He felt like he might explode if he didn’t get relief. Every damn day, she was a temptation. His showers had provided him the much-sought after relief. But even that wasn’t enough. He needed more.

Vivianna had tried to shove aside her feelings. With the showerhead washing between her legs, she’d sighed, resting her head on the wall and repeating to herself over and over, ‘You don’t like him, you just have no one else to be with. You don’t want to sleep with him, he’s just the only thing that’s available.’

She’d never felt like she could be vulnerable with anyone. Even in the times when she could be in her real body, she never felt that she got to know someone enough to want to be in bed with them. And when she did have that kind of time, she wasn’t exactly in her body, and couldn’t take that step. She would never do such a thing. 

Kai had hurt her. And somehow, she understood it. How would she have felt, if she’d been trapped here for so long, and someone suddenly walked up? She definitely would have considered them a threat. Besides, she knew it wasn’t like he chose to be a sociopath. He was born that way, because of her people.

She imagined he’d be a lot nicer if he didn’t have that barrier keeping him from experiencing most positive emotions.

They’d been mostly silent on their way to Oregon. He’d driven for the first two hours, then she for the next two, then him again for the remaining three, until they got to a remote area that looked rather strange.

“That’s totally not creepy,” she said, seeing a large forest in the center of a group of houses. They all looked identical to each other, side by side in a perfect circle around the woods. “Guess that’s why it’s called the Gemini Coven. They want to twin with everyone.”

“I don’t know if this is true or not,” said Kai, “but apparently whoever made it got a perfect view of the Gemini constellation here. The houses are in a perfect circle that would encompass the symbol of the Gemini. They’re different on the inside. It’s just the outside that’s the same. I’m surprised you can see it. It’s supposed to be invisible to non-Gemini spawn.”

“It’s probably the Connective Magic. It links me to you, and since we’re not both Geminis or both Travelers, there’s some sort of trade-off. Grants me access to seeing your Coven’s hiding place. I’ve never been in Portland. It wasn’t safe, with the Geminis there. If they would have found me, they would have killed me.” 

They drove up to a house that was a bit larger than the others, but still with the same style. It had no garage and no driveway, but an abundance of grass nearby, which allowed Kai to park the car without a problem.

“This baby’s already maxed out on miles,” he said. “I don’t think we should use this car anymore. We’ll find a new one later. Maybe my dad’ scar, so we can burn it when we’re done with it. Ah… nevermind, it’s stick.”

“Stick?” she asked. “You were born in what… 1972 and you don’t know how to drive a stick?”

“I didn’t exactly get taught by my old man, Vivi. I had to learn on my own. Stole an automatic from a guy and practiced. Eventually had enough money for my own car and got an automatic right away. Do you actually know how to drive stick, or are you just trying to brag?”

“I can drive stick. I’ll teach you.”

He snorted. “Yeah, no thanks. I’d rather not have to be schooled by you.”

“Is your ego really too fragile for that?” she asked. “Fine by me. Get yourself an automatic, then. Your dad’s car will have to stay here.”

Kai made a face, then rolled his eyes, before leading her into the house.

He obviously hadn’t bothered to clean it. Blood remained on all the inner walls of the house, and there were marks from where the ropes had been tied to the stairwell, hanging two of his siblings. Children’s toys were littered everywhere, and a few textbooks suggested a college-level student had lived there. But judging by the fact they read ‘Biology’ and not ‘Mathematics,’ she figured they belonged to Jo, and not to Kai. 

He trotted up the stairs, and she followed after him. The entire upper hallway was still stained with blood, but apparently, there was a space unaffected. His room.

“Here we go,” he said, before getting to the cabinet that Vivianna had seen in her vision. “Magic—” he held out his hand. “Now.”

She allowed him to siphon, gritting her teeth hard as she felt the magic escaping her. He let out a light groan, which made her turn red. “What the hell was that for?”

“Your magic’s already stronger,” he said, wiggling his fingertips and sighing in satisfaction. “Now that’s the feeling I’d been missing for so long.”

She said nothing as he flicked his hand, making the cabinet fly off to the side, smashing into the nearest wall. Right behind it was the smallest little gear. As Kai brought the Ascendant out of his pocket, Vivianna could already see where the gear was gonna fit. Right in the center.

“There we go,” said Kai, holding the completed Ascendant. “Your turn, Vivi. Where’s the Bennett blood?”

“Charlottesville,” she lied. “It was the first city after Mystic Falls, and I tossed it out in a field as I drove by the ‘Welcome to Charlottesville’ sign. Shouldn’t be too hard to find, it’s a pretty visible vial. And I think that if I do a spell to summon it into my hand, it should work.”

“Sneaky little bitch,” said Kai, smirking slightly. “Well, we’re not going anywhere else until I plan the route back to Charlottesville. Make yourself comfy. We’ll be here at least until mid-day tomorrow.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to find another place to stay?” she asked a bit uncomfortably.

“What, does the blood bother you?”

“No. It’s just… you have really negative memories here. Wouldn’t you be more comfortable literally anywhere else?”

His jaw went slack. Why the hell did she care about how he felt in this house? Sure, maybe being in this house did make him feel pretty shitty. But why should that matter to her?

“How about this,” she said when he didn’t reply. “You start mapping a route to Charlottesville. I’ll load the stuff from the SUV into your dad’s car if I find out that it works properly.”

Kai just continued to stare at her, and she just sighed. “Okay, well, I’m gonna do that since you’re not saying anything,” she told him. “I’ll come back inside once I check all is well, and I’ll see if there’s food here. You said the food might replenish after a few years, right? If it didn’t, I’ll drive to the supermarket or something.”

“Good news,” Kai told her when she returned half an hour later, having loaded all the bags into Joshua Parker’s car, which had many available miles to be used, and was in near-perfect condition. “One, the food restocked, so I’m making enchiladas. Two, we can trace back our steps up to Kearney. So, Portland to Boise, Boise to Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City to Laramie, then Laramie to Kearney. From there, it deviates.”

“Alright,” she said, sounding pleased to hear this. “What day should we be arriving in Charlottesville?”

“If we leave tomorrow at noon, to give us enough time to rest and get any other supplies, we can do Portland to Salt Lake on day sixteen… tomorrow… then from Salt Lake City to Kansas City on day seventeen… then Kansas City to Charlottesville on day eighteen.”

Vivianna’s eyes lit up. “So we’d arrive back in Mystic Falls on May 19. We’ll be out of here before the end of the month!”

“Provided you don’t end up injured again and have to be on bedrest for two weeks.”

“As long as you don’t hurt me, I won’t be getting injured. There isn’t anything here to hurt us. We can’t be delayed.” She clapped her hands together. “So, are we going to go stay somewhere else after this?”

“Why do you care?” he asked. “What does it matter to you how I feel in this house? I killed four of my siblings here.”

“I know that,” she said. “But I have a tough time going to places where I had to kill people. The memories… it gets to be a bit much. It can take a toll on you, mentally. You were abused here. And after all that abuse, you snapped. And though I can’t support what you did… I get it. I would have snapped too. I would have probably killed more people. So… you don’t have to tell me about it, but just be honest. If you don’t feel comfortable staying here, we can go somewhere else.”

He stared at her strangely, before looking down. “I don’t want to be here. I only came because of the last piece of the Ascendant.”

“Okay, then let’s go. Give me a tour of Portland. You know this city better than I do.”

Kai watched as she walked back out, looking pleased with herself.

Why did he like it when she smiled?

Chapter Text

He was a terrible tour guide.

“That’s a fountain,” he said as they walked by one. “That’s a rock. There are some trees, if you’re interested. And oh, look, another gas station.”

Vivianna had her hands tucked in her pockets. “Clearly your heart isn’t in this.”

“You’re the one that wanted a tour.”

“I didn’t exactly hold a gun to your head and make you give me a tour. It was just an idea.”

“I don’t know, Vivi, you tend to be really demanding. It’s obnoxious.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, at least we had good enchiladas because I wasn’t a baby about getting my hands dirty to roll the tortillas properly.”

Kai scoffed. “You were bitching the entire time, I’d hardly say you weren’t being a baby. You just don't like being called annoying because it’s true.”

She crossed her arms. “Maybe we should just to go sleep somewhere ‘cause clearly neither of us are enjoying this tour.”

“If you want to sleep together, we can do it literally anywhere. All you gotta do is ask, and I'm all yours. I'm a literal instruction manual for sex."

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“You haven’t had sex, so you don’t know how terrible it is, missing out on it for eighteen years. Even sociopaths need some relief. Lust never faded for me."

“Didn’t fleslights become a really big thing in the 90s? You have a whole fucking world here, you could go into any Spencers and get a whole sex doll if you wanted to.”

He snorted. “Those things aren’t spacious enough, if you know what I mean. Can’t get the whole thing in.”

She blushed, and he winked at her. “It’s okay, you can make a guess, I’ll tell you how close you are to being right. Bigger than average if you want a hint. Quite a bit bigger."

“You’re delusional,” she muttered. "And vulgar. And ridiculous."

“You just don’t want to admit that you really want to have sex with me.”

“But I don’t.”

“But you do. Shower was running a little strangely in Boise. I heard it.”

“I like moving the showerhead to clean everywhere better, is that a problem?”

“I don’t mind a little blood you know, if that’s what you’re worried about. I'd be wearing protection anyway to be safe.”

“You’re gross.”

“You’re thinking about it, your ears got all red.”

She immediately covered her ears and started to walk away from him. He jogged to catch up. “Oh, I just love tormenting you, Viiv, you make it so easy.”

“Is this payback for me not telling you where the Bennett blood was?”

“Maybe.”

“Why am I still alive, Malachai? Tell me the truth. I told you exactly where the Bennett blood was and somehow, I’m still alive. I expected you would have killed me the instant you learned about it's location." 

He didn’t want to tell her the truth. He was used to her being there now. As annoying as she could be, he liked having her next to him. He felt more comfortable. More safe. More validated. He couldn’t exactly say he was happy, but he definitely wasn’t as bitter as he’d been before she showed up.

He felt like he might lose his mind for real if she left. If she were gone. While killing her might have been satisfying to him, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He didn’t want to. Having her next to him was better than having no one to talk to. 

“Maybe ‘cause I still think you’re lying,” he said. That was kinda true. He wanted to believe her. But she’d lied before. He had to admit, she was pretty good at lying. At least in the sense that he genuinely couldn’t tell whether she was bluffing or not. She didn’t seem to be bluffing this time, after the specific detail she mentioned regarding tossing the blood by the ‘Welcome to Charlottesville’ sign. But with Vivi, one could never know. He, himself, lied all the time. He liked playing tricks. It wasn’t too far-fetched to believe she could do the exact same thing.

“I already told you exactly where it is. I said I’d tell you when we got the last piece of the Ascendant, and we did.” She narrowed her eyes. “I think you like me, Malachai. I think the Gemini has a crush on the Traveler."

“I’d have to stoop really low for that,” he said out of habit. “You are most definitely not my type.”

She frowned a bit, but tried pretending as though it didn’t affect her. “Didn’t seem that way when you were trying to be all close to me while shirtless.”

“I’m just desperate for sex, I’d fuck anyone at this point. Can’t be picky when you only have one person to choose from. Question, are your companions male or female? I don’t give a fuck at this point, I just wanna prepare myself for how good looking they’d be. I wanna know who I’m choosing in a lineup.”

It was more obvious that this statement had hurt Vivianna’s feelings. Standing beside Damon and Bonnie, she knew she wouldn’t stand out. She knew she was pretty, but was she as hot as them? She wasn’t sure. She quickly looked down. “A male and a female,” she muttered. She squeezed her own elbows, keeping her arms tucked together. “I’m walking back to the car, I don’t want to walk around anymore.”

Her sudden change in behavior had been confusing for Kai. He’d never really been used to caring how his words affected people. Most times, he wanted to hurt them. He wanted them to feel as inadequate as he did. 

But this time, he knew he’d messed up. She’d been silent the entire drive to the hotel he’d marked on a route, earlier. She’d gone to her room without speaking to him, and she’d even locked her door, which she hadn’t done at any of the places they’d stayed at before.

She felt like an idiot. She sank into her bath, letting the water come up to her chin. How could she be stupid enough to be focusing on his looks when she just needed him to survive? He wasn’t her friend. She meant nothing to him. He hated her for what she was. The Travelers were the reason why he was born a siphoner and a sociopath. The Geminis were the reason she couldn’t do Traditional Magic and why she’d always had to move. Their lives had been royally fucked up by the others’ ancestors. Even in their current day and age, the Geminis hunted the Travelers. Why did she think this would be any different?

He already felt like he was going ballistic. Even just these few hours without her close by to chat with felt like torture. He wanted to talk to her again. He wanted to know more about her life. Maybe take the opportunity to rant about his. She didn’t seem to mind listening. She made him feel pretty normal despite always being told that he was a freak of nature. A freak in general.

“Vivi,” he said, unable to stop himself from coming to her door. “I’m hungry. Come to the kitchen with me.”

She didn’t reply.

“Vivi, I know you’re in there. Your shower stopped running a while ago. I know you’re done.”

No answer again. 

Just a whimper.

He had a feeling that something was wrong. He raised his leg, kicking at the door twice before it burst open. He found the bathroom door was still closed.

And water tinted red was leaking out from beneath it.

“Oh, shit,” he said, before running in.

She’d clearly slipped when trying to exit the bath. She’d managed to wrap herself with a bathrobe, but her head had collided with the edge of the sink, and she was bleeding quite a bit.

“What the hell?” he said, gently bringing her to sit up. “Why didn’t you call for help?”

“Can’t really yell,” she said softly, her eyes opening and closing like she was trying not to fall asleep. “Slipped… my leg… gave out…”

He looked down and noticed some bruising on the leg where he’d shot her with the arrow. “I think the walking could have made it cramp up a bit,” he mentioned. “That was the most physical activity you’ve done since this happened. I didn’t give you any physical therapy to do. Hold still—”

He rushed out of the room and came back with a small penlight he’d packed, carefully opening her eyes and checking that both pupils constricted. When they did, he sighed in relief. “Might just be a concussion. What do you feel?”

“Head hurts,” she said quietly. “Really tired… so sleepy… it’s so bright in here.”

“Alright. Definitely the signs of a concussion. You did cut your head though, that might need stitches.”

“No,” she said desperately. “No stitches. Magic.”

“Vivi, if I siphon from you right now, it might kill you. Be smart about it.”

“Don’t know why I’m even still alive… you should have killed me already.”

“You might still be useful. You need to teach me to drive stick, right?”

It made no sense to him why he cared whether this girl lived or died. But at the same time, he knew exactly why he wanted her to live. He wanted her to be there. His pal. Assuming she was telling the truth about Charlottesville, her purpose was essentially fulfilled. Still, Kai wasn’t sure he wanted to make the journey to Mystic Falls alone. He tried to pretend that it was only because her companions would never trust him if he came back without her. If they werewerewolves, they’d probably make his life a living hell to get revenge. 

“Up you come,” he said, carefully picking her up. “Let’s get you to your bed. We’ll be staying here for a while.”

“What?” she said. “No… we can’t…”

“Hey. I’m the doctor here, not you, smartass. You need at least ten days to start healing properly from a concussion. I’m not gonna have you driving anywhere. Not even being driven around.”

“Vampire,” she said weakly. “One of my companions is a vampire… he can heal me.”

“Vivi, we’re not gonna make it there fast enough, even if we drove constantly, which is impossible. The trip would take almost two days with no stops. By that time, you could end up with a brain bleed. I need to stitch you up. Let me go to my room and get the suture kit and I’ll be right back.”

“No,” she said when he set her on the bed. She grabbed onto his arm and started to cry. “Don’t leave me, please, I don’t want to fall asleep.”

“That’s good thinking,” he said, finding his heart skipped a beat. She looked so sad, he didn't want to leave her alone. “Falling asleep could be a problem.” He ended up picking her back up, carrying her to his room, and setting her down before going to fetch the suture kit.

“Not gonna lie, this is gonna hurt, but you’re not gonna be a baby about it, right?” he said, holding up the needle.

She gulped. “Not my first time getting stitches without meds.”

“Alright then. Hold onto something.”

She’d gripped his pillowcase as tight as she could in her fists, groaning slightly with each stitch he made. Her eyes kept watering and she looked like she wanted to burst into a full on explosion of tears, but she was holding it back.

“What happened, Vivi?” he asked, wanting to keep her talking. “Why did you slip?”

“My leg… I don’t know… it hurt. The bath… I put epsom salt… I heard that helps. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Why did you get mad earlier?”

She scoffed lightly. “Mad… I wasn’t mad.”

“You were upset, then.”

“Doesn’t exactly feel great being told that someone would have to stoop really low to like you. And a lineup… if there’s one thing I hate, it’s being compared to other people.”

Kai could relate to that. It was always, ‘Why can’t you be more like Josette, Malachai?’ and, ‘Why couldn’t you be normal like the rest of your siblings?’ Never, ‘Good job, Malachai, you’re succeeding through your unique-ness,’ or ‘You’re more than worthy no matter how different you may be.’

He supposed the latter were a bit silly, considering that his father never talked like that. Kai himself would never have said that to anyone, unless he was some non-sociopathic middle aged soccer dad who worked a twelve hours a day to provide for his kids, who in this fantasy, would be absolutely amazing. He'd have a hot wife too.

“I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I’m used to it. Insulting people. Acting indifferent. Can’t really get hurt if you hurt people first.”

“I’m not trying to hurt you,” she said honestly. “We have to help each other or we’re never gonna get out of here.”

He finished the stitches and drew away. “You need to rest. Here.” He helped her lay down and brought the blankets over her. “Hey, don’t make faces, I haven’t even slept in these sheets yet.”

“Smells like you,” she muttered. “You need a bath.”

“After you almost died in your shower? Hell no, I’ll wait til morning when the bad juju has passed.”

She slumped back in the pillows. “Is it okay to sleep now?”

“I just need to get some more specific meds. Wait here. I’m gonna come back soon. Sit tight, you’re safe here.”

“Why did I tell her that?” he muttered to himself once he was walking to the nearest pharmacy. “Stupid. You sound like a fucking moron, being all nice to her.”

And yet, he would trade anything in the world to see the way she looked at him after that, all over again. Her eyes full of hope.

She was starting to trust him, and that scared the both of them.

“Here you go,” he said when he came back, trying to be more gruff with her. “Swallow. If you know how to do that. They say spitters are quitters."

She rolled her eyes as he handed her a water bottle to go along with it. “And just like that we’re back to the sexual jokes.”

“You gotta learn sometime, kiddo.”

“Don’t call me that. We’re the same age.”

“No the fuck we’re not. I was a few weeks from celebrating my eighteenth birthday when you were born.”

“You’re twenty-two. So am I. Maturity wise, I might even be older than you.”

He snorted. “Yeah fucking right. Just take your pills like a good girl and go to sleep. You hit your talking quota for the day, give me a fucking break.”

“No one said you had to take care of me.”

He shrugged. “No one said you had to fall in the shower but here we are.”

She took her pills, making faces at him the entire time.

It wasn’t exactly terrible, staying in that hotel with her.

They slept in separate rooms to at least take a break from each other. But during the days, he was there, bothering her nonstop, yammering away about all the things he hated about Portland. And it seemed to be a very, very long list. 

“There is literally nothing in this city that you like,” she mentioned on day twenty-five, which marked the tenth day since her concussion, meaning they were able to get back to Mystic Falls now. “You hate the university, you hate the parks, you hate the houses. You even hated that zip-lining activity place you mentioned. How can one hate zip-lining?”

“I got into a fight with the guy that worked there,” said Kai between bites of pork rinds. It drove her crazy how often he ate those. She didn’t like the smell. “So then one time, I went ‘cause I had time between shifts, and the fucker didn’t fasten the thing properly so I almost busted my head open swinging down on the main platform. So then we got into a fight again. So I don’t like the place anymore.”

Vivianna just stared at him, trying not to laugh. “Alright… well… I guess that kinda makes sense.”

“Don’t laugh at me,” he said, throwing a pork rind at her. 

“Ew, get those away,” she said, grumbling and tossing them off the bed.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, throwing another one at her. “Don’t like pork rinds?”

“I’ve told you every day for the past ten days that I hate them and you keep eating them in front of me. I had a fucking concussion, I’m sensitive and need to rest and you just keep bringing those foul-smelling things near me.”

“It’s fun to see you mad.” He tossed a third, but she managed to catch it, and threw it back. “Damn, you are terrible at throwing, you completely missed.” He popped one into his mouth, then spit it at her.

“You are disgusting beyond belief,” she said. “Jesus christ, why do you feel the need to do that?”

“I love irritating you,” he said, spitting yet another one. “You get mad so easily.”

“You’re the worst doctor. This is harassment. If this were the real world, I’d sue you for malpractice.”

“With what money? Aren’t you incredibly poor?"

She suddenly groaned. “Oh… my money… I never even thought about that! My bank account probably got drained! The government probably has every cent I ever made off of killing! Fuck… I really hope somebody I knew did something… but they probably didn’t even know.”

“Sucks to suck,” said Kai. “Maybe I should be a mercenary when I get out. Sounds nice, making money for killing people.”

“Somehow, I think your goal should be not killing people, but alright.”

“Why? It’s fun.”

“People’s lives matter. I tend to justify it when people do something wrong… which isn’t a good thing, but it helps me not feel guilty. The thing is, everyone’s life is valuable to some extent. That poor soul I killed one Tuesday morning could have been donating to the homeless, for all I know. It’s more I can say about myself. I know your emotional capabilities aren’t exactly allowing you to feel like killing is bad, but… I don’t know, I’ll be honest, it gets boring after a while. Maybe it’s because I’m not a sociopath and I didn’t feel like doing it. I just did it to survive. Time after time, the same kind of murders… cleaning up afterward… it’s annoying.”

Kai pursed his lips. “I don’t know. I had fun killing my siblings. I just didn’t care.”

“But you enjoyed it because it was hurting your dad. You didn’t have issues with some of the younger ones. It was really just Josette, the twins, and the third oldest one… Joey, I think you said his name was?”

“Yeah… I guess my main problem was them. The others were just puppets.” He frowned. “I don’t know. Maybe it was a little boring. They were so small, they couldn’t really put up much of a fight.”

She just shrugged, not knowing what else to tell him. It wasn’t something she could understand. She figured that was a good place to end it so that she wouldn’t make it uncomfortable for him.

She started to get to her feet. “We should probably get going. We’ve delayed this trip long enough. It’s time to get the Bennett blood and get out of here. I’m not gonna die anymore. We’ll get the blood, go to Mystic Falls, my companion will give me vampire blood, and all will be fine.”

“This companion,” Kai said slowly. “You said ‘he’ could heal you. Have you two…” he clicked his tongue.

Vivianna made a face. “What part of ‘I’ve never done it with anyone’ did you not understand?"

“So… no dating?”

“No.”

“No kissing?”

“No.”

“When did you meet him?”

“One day before arriving in the prison world.”

“Damn. Is the other companion his partner or something?”

“No. She wouldn’t. I don’t know much about them, they know each other, but they don’t seem to get along too well. Though, if we get back and I find out they hooked up, I won’t really be surprised. They fight all the time but they clearly care about each other, and after a certain point, it becomes pure sexual tension. I feel like they must have gotten it out of their system by now.”

Kai pursed his lips a bit. “So… you’re saying the fighting can turn into sexual tension?”

“Don’t look at me like that,” she said, shrinking back when he leaned forward. “We’re not… definitely not.”

“You sure?”

“You smell like pork rinds.”

“I’ll wash my mouth. Give you that minty fresh in all your sensitive areas.”

She turned red, and pretended to be very interested in folding the sheets beside her. “Not a good idea before a three-day road trip.”

“Why not? Get the tension out. It’ll give me more patience while you teach me to drive stick.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“I’ll use extra protection if you want me to. Add in a little extra spell to make sure we don’t get any weird Traveler-Gemini hybrids. If you’re worried about me rattling your brain again and giving you a second concussion, then all you have to do is say so.”

“Oh my god, just stop talking,” she said, leaving the room entirely.

He just smirked when, moments later, he heard her turning on the shower.

Chapter Text

Vivi was a bad teacher.

Kai wasn’t the problem. He couldn’t be. That was impossible. He knew about cars, and driving stick should not have been so hard. 

But the girl went on and on and on about different things he needed to keep in mind. He could care so much less. He just ignored her and started trying, which made her only grow more frustrated.

“That’s not how you do it!” she said irritably. 

“Shut up and let me focus,” he said, trying again. This time, it seemed he’d done it slightly right, but she still let out a growl.

“Why do I even bother?” she said, rubbing her forehead. “You’re not gonna listen to a word I say. Here,” she said, tossing him the manual she’d found in the side door. “Teach yourself. We’ve been at this for half an hour and you’re not paying attention to me.”

“What, so you’re just gonna leave?” he asked. “I stayed by your bedside for ten days straight!”

“And I was very kind to you those ten days! I’m trying to help you and you’re just being a brat.”

He felt like doing one of two things. First option— wrap his hand around her throat and pull her closer, and asking her to say it again. After that, he would lean in as if to kiss her, maybe see if she reciprocated. If she did, then that car was about to see it’s first bit of action ever.

Second option— he wanted to bash her head into the dashboard and knock her out. Maybe remove part of her liver to teach her a lesson.

He ended up doing neither, not because he wanted to be nicer, but because she’d already gotten out of the car by the time he’d decided that he was going to go for option one.

“Vivi, don’t be like that,” he yelled out the window as she walked back to the hotel. “You’re being dramatic.”

“At least I can drive stick!” she yelled back.

“Just for that, I’m gonna run you over.”

“No you won’t, you can’t drive that damn car.”

She’d ended up taking over most of the driving on the way back to Mystic Falls. He’d been in charge of telling her where to go, whenever he wasn’t snoring in the passenger’s seat. They’d switched cars once they got back to Salt Lake City, because Kai wanted to drive, and apparently, his father’s car just wasn’t gonna cut it anymore.

He’d lit it on fire, and it had exploded behind them as he started driving away in an automatic sports car that barely fit all their supplies. Some of Vivianna’s clothes had had to be rolled up into balls because they didn’t have enough space. Kai didn’t care about his clothes being wrinkly, but she did.

“We are not switching cars again,” he said when they got to Kansas City. 

“Why not?” she demanded. “I don’t like that one, it’s too small!”

“That’s what she said.”

“Can you be serious for just a single moment please?”

He smirked at her, and shrugged. “Okay, moment’s passed. So, did you ever come up with a guess on how big you think I am?”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous. That car doesn’t have enough space for our stuff. I want another SUV.”

“Then go get it yourself.”

“What, so you can abandon me here?”

“You said you’d iron my clothes. I can’t abandon you.”

“You can iron your clothes yourself, you know, since you leave them all over the place anyway.”

“I don’t know how to iron.”

“You don’t know how to iron? You can fly a plane and drive a train— both things you learned without anyone to teach you— but you can’t use an iron? Then again, you can’t drive stick, either—”

“Oh, would you give it a rest?” he groaned. “I thought we were bonding here.”

“No we weren’t. Come with me to get the car.”

“Don’t trust me?”

“I don’t believe your excuse about me ironing your clothes.”

“It’s true.”

“Why would you keep me around just because of that?”

“No one’s ever ironed my clothes for me before.”

She faltered. “Haven’t you ever had to wear a suit?”

“Well, yeah, but I stole it from my dad’s closet. They were already iron and pressed and all that. I just needed it for one night. Senior prom. I went for the booze.”

“You’ve never had to wear formal clothes anywhere else?”

“No. I never got invited to weddings or birthdays. While everyone else was out having fun, I had to ‘keep the house safe.’ Safe, from intruders, which isn’t even possible, because we’re a literal fucking Coven with spells over every house. It was bullshit, really, having to keep the house ‘safe’ when no one felt safe there to begin with, all because I was sleeping in the next room. Guess they had a reason, of course.”

Vivianna just looked down. “I guess I’ll get the car myself.”

He’d watched her like a toddler learning a new skill, once she finally had the iron in her hand and was gliding it gently over his shirts. He held each one to his cheek, feeling the warmth, though she ignored him, not wanting to burn herself. It had already happened one too many times.

“It’s May twenty-eight tomorrow,” said Vivianna once she was done, marking the calendar. “We have fourteen hours of driving before we get to Charlottesville. We should arrive in Mystic Falls by evening, once we get the Bennett blood.”

“So, I have a question. You made it seem like your companions were werewolves. Which clearly isn’t true because you said one’s a vampire. So what’s the other one?”

She sighed. “She’s a witch. But she went through some stuff just before we all ended up here and I just didn’t want to make it worse by dragging her across the country. The two of them… it was just too much. Not to mention our magic isn’t exactly compatible. We’d kinda be fending for ourselves. It was better they stay back, hold down the fort of the place they picked to live in.”

“Are they like you? In the sense that they’re obnoxious and self-absorbed.”

She glared at him. “Yeah, you’re welcome for ironing your clothes.” She got to her feet, choosing to walk away from him.

They were on their way in the morning. They had seven hours from Kansas City to Louisville, before going another seven hours from Louisville to Charlottesville.

Vivianna had a plan. She’d knock Kai out magically once they got to Charlottesville, and keep him down long enough to get them to Mystic Falls so she’d have time to explain things to Damon and Bonnie. That ensured that they got their first impression through her. Otherwise, he’d just be making comments and it would end in chaos.

They’d been just an hour away from Charlottesville when there was a popping sound. Kai, who’d been driving, immediately let go of the accelerator, allowing the car to glide until it stopped.

“Shit,” he said, getting out. “Tire’s blown.”

“The one thing we didn’t pack was supplies if this happened,” she said, groaning slightly. She went to check the back of the car. “Stupid! Damn it… there isn’t a spare… I didn’t check.”

Kai tried his best not to be angry. Honestly, he hadn’t checked for that, either, in the cars he’d selected before. “We don’t have anything to fix this,” he said. “No pump, no jack to lift the car and give it our best shot at patching.” He looked up at the sky, seeing it had long since started to dark. “Guess we’re staying here for the night.”

“We can’t stay here!” she said, bewildered. “What if we have to use the bathroom—?”

He gestured at the open field. “Take your pick of makeshift toilets. You brought tissues, that’ll have to do.”

“What the hell do we do after that? We’re near Lexington— that’s an hour away from Charlottesville, driving. The nearest town isn’t for about fifty minutes, walking. Why don’t we just use magic—?”

“I don’t know how to fix that magically,” said Kai. “And unless you do, we’re at a loss.”

Vivianna groaned in frustration. “Damn it…”

She’d ended up setting up their ‘bathroom’ station in the trunk of the car. She laid out toothbrushes, floss, toothpaste, tissues, wipes, some water, and a few of the facial cleansers she’d picked up. Kai had done his business first, and then she afterward, far in the field, to the point where she’d almost gotten lost. She was glad there weren’t animals here, otherwise, she’d have a lot more to worry about.

“Guess that’s it,” Kai said, leaning the driver’s seat back as far as it went, and holding up the blanket he’d brought for himself. “Time to sleep.”

She was curled up as best as she could across from him, hands tucked under her face. “Alright. Goodnight.”

Neither of them could sleep.

“Was your brother cool, or was he as lame as you?”

She bit back a retort, and just shrugged. “Julian was good. He was knowledgeable and kind. A good husband to Maria. An even better brother. He always protected me. Taught me how to do a lot of things. Unfortunately, he was the one that had to teach me to kill. He started working as a mercenary right after my parents died. He’d done it for a year more than I had, and just kinda walked me through it.”

“This Maria lady. Sister-in-law. She was nice?”

“She was awesome. She’s the one that taught me to cook, and she was really good at it. She made Julian really happy, and when they got married, it just felt even better. She was like the big sister I’d never had. They both tried their best to keep me happy because they knew that everything I’d experienced had taken a major toll on me. Maria’s parents were still alive, they’d just gone their separate ways for safety. Julian was old enough to feel pretty normal after my parents died. But I was still in the process of learning so much from them, and it got cut short. Maria and Julian had to take up the task of teaching me what they hadn’t been able to.”

“Sounds like you had it good,” he said, shifting so his arms were clasped behind his head. “It’s different, I guess, with you being the youngest kid. Everyone gives more shits about you. I was the oldest. The others were supposed to look up to me, but I was a failure. An abomination. There wasn’t anything they could learn from that. I was a monster before I started killing. Solely because of my siphoning. I wasn’t abusive with them. I lost my temper easily, but I never hit them. Never made them feel inadequate. I was so used to it, I didn’t want to just repeat it to the younger ones. I thought they might treat me better if they could see me as a cool older bro. It never happened. So I didn’t feel remorse when I killed them. They didn’t appreciate me. I tried to be nice to them and it was all for nothing.”

She winced. “It’s hard for kids to process what’s right and wrong when their parents are setting a bad example for them. That’s why it’s so important to teach them about being accepting and kind with everyone. Just… I’m sorry. Again. It sounds awful. I’ll never be able to understand it. I just know I would have hated it if it were me. It’s wrong on so many levels. Your dad… is he still alive?”

“I don’t know. Must be, or the prison world would have collapsed. Aren’t you supposed to know who the leader of the Gemini Coven is?”

“I don’t really keep up with it. I just stay hidden. The name Joshua Parker doesn’t ring a bell to me.”

“I’m glad my parents didn’t end up naming me after him,” said Kai scathingly. “My mom wanted my name to be ‘Malachai Joshua Parker.’ My dad said no, because they were already using a ‘J’ name for Jo. So we just ended up not getting middle names. The others did. All stupid. Do you have a middle name?”

“No. Just the two last names. The ‘V’ for Vivianna is from my mom, ‘Valerie.’ And, I forget if I mentioned, but my dad’s name was Julian, too. That was more traditional… naming the sons after their fathers, especially when there was only one.”

“Did your parents want to have more kids?”

“No. Just one boy and one girl. They did magic to make sure they had one of each. Having too many kids isn’t ideal as a Traveler. It’s so much more dangerous. You have to deal with so many more people that need to be passengers, not to mention that many Travelers in one place is more disastrous. Four is probably the max a group can have without it being catastrophic.”

He’d stretched out his hand to get in a more comfortable position, and it had brushed up against her forehead. She figured it was an accident, and had thought nothing of it, until his hand moved again, this time grazing her arm. 

“Stop touching me,” she said. “I want to sleep.”

“Sleep with me.”

“No.”

“I’m touch-starved.”

“You may be touch-starved, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna fuck you.” 

“Would you? If we weren’t in here?”

“I don’t know you well enough. So no.”

“But if you knew me better?”

She blushed, and was glad he couldn’t see it. “I don’t know.”

“I’d sleep with you. I want to.”

“But I don’t want to. Please respect that.”

He was silent after that.

She woke up feeling incredibly sore. She wasn’t used to sleeping in cars anymore, since she’d had the luxury of a bed literally everywhere in this empty world. She groaned when she got up, stretching her arms before getting up and going to brush her teeth, peeing where he couldn’t see her, and then going to wake him up.

“Five more minutes,” he pleaded.

“It’s morning, Malachai. We have to gather just the essentials and get going.”

He’d complained the entire time they’d walked. Vivianna was exhausted, and the last thing she wanted to do was move along the same highway for nearly an hour. But they needed to find a car, because this wasn’t a trip they could do without one.

“I’m hungry,” said Kai. “When the hell are we getting to this town?”

“I don’t know, okay? We already finished all the granola bars, we’re gonna have to wait.”

“Maybe we should have taken a plane.”

“You may know how to fly one, but I was not going to go willingly into a plane.”

“Coward.”

“I don’t trust planes. Any other vehicle is fine. Being up in the sky is terrifying. I have enough problems on land.”

“Then maybe we should have taken a damn train then. Probably would have worked a hell of a lot better than a car.”

“It’s in the past, okay, we didn’t do it, we can’t do it now, so just keep walking and please, for the love of god, shut up. If you’re just gonna have a verbal existential crisis, I don’t want to hear it.”

“You’re forgetting how eager I am to get the hell out of here. You haven’t been trapped here for eighteen years. You don’t know how badly I want to get this all done and over with.”

“I may not know, but I can feel at least a fraction of the desperation. I want this done and over with, too. We’ll be there soon. Shouldn't take that much longer.”

At long last, they arrived in a small town, where the first thing they saw was a Chinese food place. Thankfully, they’d arrived at a good time, because the food was freshly made and waiting for them. Kai had eaten six egg rolls and a gigantic plate of teriyaki chicken with chow mein. Vivianna hadn’t felt the best, and had hardly been able to down her orange chicken and rice bowl.

“You look sick,” said Kai.

“I’m dehydrated,” she said as they walked to find a car. “I’m not used to doing this much physical activity in this body. I need to start exercising again… holy fuck.”

He’d been nice enough to offer to drive once they got an automatic he liked. She’d fallen asleep in the passenger’s seat, which had almost foiled her plan.

“Yoohoo,” he said, when they reached the ‘Welcome to Charlottesville’ sign that rested between that city and Mystic Falls. “We’re here. Bennett blood. Now.”

She was still groggy as she sat up. “What? What’s going on?”

“Bennett blood,” he said, snapping his fingers in her face. “Hurry up.”

“I’m sorry about this,” she said, gripping her necklace and mumbling, “Uspat.”

He slumped back immediately, starting to snore lightly.

She’d managed to get him into the back seat, then had started her drive to Mystic Falls. It was right at ten-thirty when she pulled up to the driveway of the Salvatore Boarding House.

Bonnie and Damon rushed out to meet her immediately.

“Holy shit, I thought you were dead,” said Bonnie. “I tried to contact you magically to get updates, but…”

“But I’m not the same kind of witch as you,” said Vivianna. “It wouldn’t have worked. I’m guessing that means you got your magic back?”

“No thanks to Damon,” said Bonnie, glaring at him. “He doubted me the entire time, but you know what, I managed it. I practiced that same spell every day until I felt a spark.”

“Liar,” said Damon. “You were able to use magic cause I threw a pancake at you and you managed to catch it with your mind.”

Bonnie smirked slightly. “It was a spark.” She peered into the car. “Is that the siphoner?”

“Yep,” said Vivianna. “There’s a lot to discuss. But first—” she looked at Damon. “Vampire blood, please?”

He tilted his head. “You look fine. Why do you need vampire blood?”

She held up her shirt to reveal the scar left behind by Kai. “That, and one on my leg, and a concussion I got around fourteen days ago. I don’t think it’ll remove my past scars, which is a bummer, but at least these. Please.”

Damon sighed, before biting into his wrist, and holding it out to her. She brought it to her mouth, and drank a bit, feeling her wounds healing completely.

It took about an hour for her to talk them through everything that had happened. She didn’t tell them the truth about Kai (in regards to why he was there in the first place), but she did relay their discovery of the last piece of the Ascendant, and the fact that they just needed that and Bennett blood to get out.

“He said Mystic Falls is the best place to channel the full power of the eclipse. I don’t think he knows where, exactly, since I don’t know if he’s been here, but it shouldn’t be too hard to figure it out. Damon can you carry—?”

The vampire sped outside, and returned with Kai, depositing him on the couch. “This dude weighs a ton. How the hell did you manage to move him from the driver’s seat to the back seat?”

“Magic,” she said. “I told you about that Connective Spell. It’s been helping a lot. I feel stronger. Since only a month has passed, I’m hoping your friends saved those ashes for me. Otherwise, the only way I won’t lose my magic permanently is to remain linked to him. And I obviously can’t do that.”

She looked over at Kai, waving her hand to wake him back up. He sat up with a start, looking around wildly, before realizing what’d happened.

“Not cool, Vivi,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “You lied about the Bennett blood. Again.”

“Had to make sure I made a decent impression for you,” she said. “This is Damon, the vampire, and this is Bonnie, the witch.”

“Mmm, of course,” said Kai, looking over Bonnie’s face. “You’re the Bennett blood. You look just like her.”

Bonnie frowned. “Just like who.”

“Sheila Bennett. Ring a bell?”

Bonnie looked flustered. “She was my Grams. How did you—?”

“Sheila helped my dad every now and then. She’s actually the one that gave the blood to put me in here.”

“Let’s not punish Bonnie for something her grandmother did,” said Vivianna quickly, seeing Kai looked angry. “We have what we need. What time does the eclipse happen here?”

“Twelve twenty-eight,” said Damon, checking the time. “It’s eleven forty-five right now.”

“Perfect,” said Kai. “We have enough time to prepare. Let’s go. Unless Miss Bennett has a problem.”

“No problem,” said Damon, not letting Bonnie answer. “She’s fine. Let’s hurry this up. I want to get back to my girl tonight.”

“That’s a shame, it smells like pancakes in here,” said Kai, sniffing as the others got to their feet. He got out the Ascendant. “Follow me, chipmunks.”

He led them out to the front yard, holding up the Ascendant and starting to walk around aimlessly, looking through the center hole framed by the missing gear they’d only just located.

“You’re wandering around like a crazy man,” observed Damon. “Why?”

“Looking for the exact right spot,” said Kai. “We need to find where the power of the eclipse is focused.”

“Something’s not right about him," muttered Bonnie as he skipped ahead, like a child. 

“He knows his shit, he’s just insufferable,” said Vivianna. 

“Remind me again why he’s still alive?” asked Damon. “You’re powerful enough to kill him.”

“I just think we should all get out at the same time,” said Vivianna. “No one should be trapped here by themselves for so long. It’s cruel. Plus, after nearly killing me, he saved my life a good several times. He could have let me die and he didn’t. I think he’s learned at least one thing in his captivity.”

“Be honest,” said Damon quietly. “You wanna sleep with him.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” said Bonnie, seeing Vivianna had turned red. “I’ve had it with you making comments like that this entire month. I can’t wait to get out of here and talk to somebody else. Anybody else.”

Damon feigned offense. “Ouch. Can we just have a few lasting seconds of peace while this idiot uses that thing to get the stars to align?” He looked up at Kai, who seemed to be heading into the forest . “Hey, what’s up with the nature walk?”

“I used the Ascendant to figure out where we need to be standing during the eclipse,” said Kai.

“Great,” said Damon. “Let’s do some magic and get the hell out of here.”

“Oregon,” whispered Bonnie suddenly. 

Vivianna raised a brow. “What about it?”

She held up a newspaper that’d been on the floor. “I read this paper like a thousand times, and there’s something in it about Oregon.” She pointed at a specific article. “Family massacred in Portland. The only one missing was the oldest boy, a twenty-two-year-old named Malachai.”

Vivianna gulped as Bonnie stared at her incredulously. “Did you know?” the Bennett witch asked.

“It wasn’t my place to say anything,” said Vivianna uncomfortably.

“Who names a kid Malachai?” asked Kai from up ahead, clearly privy to their conversation. “It’s like they expected me to be evil.”

“All these kids were murdered!” exclaimed Bonnie. 

“Hello! Not everyone died,” said Kai, walking over to her. “I had a soft spot for one of my sisters. 'Cause otherwise, I would've cut her lungs out, and not just her spleen.”

Bonnie’s eyes looked like they might pop out of her sockets. “What?”

“You can survive without a spleen,” said Kai, as if to imply this should be obvious. 

“Something tells me you’re not speaking hypothetically,” muttered Damon.

Kai looked over the paper, pointing at different pictures. “Look, well, these two, I, uh, hung off a stairwell railing. Then I put a hunting knife in her abdomen, and him, I drowned in the pool. But, he kept fighting me. I was like, ‘I saved you for last, you ungrateful little…’ Anyway, that was that. Vivi saw past it. You guys should, too.”

“You just killed your whole family?” asked Bonnie.

“Coven, to be precise. Oh, you know, family of witches. I have no powers, obviously, Vivi already mentioned that. And of course, the Gemini Coven did not take it too well when they heard what I did in Portland. It’s why they banished me here.”

Bonnie tossed the newspaper to the floor. “Screw this,” she said. “We’re not going anywhere.”

Chapter Text

Bonnie couldn’t be convinced otherwise.

She’d stormed back into the house as the eclipse happened overhead, indicating that they’d run out of time for their escape attempt that day.

“We are not letting Kai out of here, okay?” she snapped, when both Damon and Vivianna had immediately started arguing that they might as well just get out all at once. “He just said he’s a serial killer.”

“I don’t care!” said Damon. “The dude could be responsible for Kurt Cobain’s death and I would still let him be free. I wanna get out of here.”

Bonnie stared at him incredulously, then looked between him and Vivianna. “How can you not care? Maybe because of the horrible things you guys have done?” She glared at Damon specifically when she said, “Maybe ‘cause killing a bunch of kids is not a big deal to someone who’s murdered a pregnant woman? Am I wrong?”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” said Vivianna, “but I’m technically a serial killer too. I told you I worked as a mercenary. I’ve killed way more people than he has. And you’re willing to let me out of here.”

“You’re actually being fully cooperative, and it’s our fault you got in here in the first place!” said Bonnie. “I was the idiot who couldn’t handle the spell to get everyone out, and I was the one who got you to kill yourself so you could do the spell with me on The Other Side.”

“He’s being cooperative now, can’t we just—”

“Let me ask you, Vivianna, did you ever kill a child?”

“No, but—”

“Case closed. I’m even willing to let Damon out. But not him. Not Kai. I don’t know anything about him. How do we know he won’t just kill us all now that he has the ingredients to get out?”

“Well, I won’t kill Vivi,” said Kai from behind them, looking amused despite what the conversation was about. “She’s the one who actually did the work on your end. You two are pretty useless. Come on, Bonnie. You wanna go home to your friends, I wanna go back and give the rest of the Gemini Coven an excruciating death. Win-win.”

Damon looked pleadily at the Bennett witch. “Look, Bonnie, I know this guy's not a model citizen, okay, but I gotta get back. Not just for Elena, but for my brother.”

Bonnie shook her head. “I’m sorry, Damon.”

“Sorry doesn’t work for me,” said Kai, lunging toward Bonnie. Damon caught him before he could do anything, and slammed him into the nearest wall.

“We may be having a bit of a disagreement,” said Damon coldly, “but don't ever lay a hand on her.”

Kai appeared bored. “Kind of a non-issue now. We missed the day's eclipse. Rain check for tomorrow?”

“No,” said Bonnie. “You don’t feel remorse. Damon and Vivianna do. They deserve to get out of here. They were never supposed to be here in the first place. But you? You can rot.” 

She stormed back outside, and Kai pouted playfully. “She doesn’t like me very much,” he noticed.

Vivianna just yanked Damon off of him. “I’m starving,” she said, to anyone who could hear her. “I’m gonna make some food.”

“And I’m gonna consume it,” said Kai, following her to the kitchen.

He sat on the counter while she prepared to make some hamburgers. “So,” he said, watching as she started preparing the meat. “How are you gonna convince Bonnie to let me out with you guys?”

“That’s not my job,” said Vivianna. “You want someone to vouch for you, do it yourself. Damon and I clearly didn’t change her mind. Prove to her that you deserve to get out.”

“If there’s one thing I find easy, it’s lying. I’ll pretend I’m really sorry. Hell, I’ll use your magic to make myself look emotional if that’s what it takes. I’ll tell her that I regretted it but after so many years, I grew hateful and I stopped caring. But I’ll tell her—”

She held up her hand. “Rehearse it, or something, because I don’t believe for a second that you can pull that off.”

“I considered being a theater kid,” he said as he hopped off of the counter. “Consider yourself lucky to witness a private performance.” He winked. “There’s another one I can offer.”

She groaned. “Not right now. Seriously.”

He grabbed her arm, and she gritted her teeth as he siphoned a bit, before waving a hand over his face. It looked like he’d just finished crying.

“Bonnie, please,” he said desperately, still holding onto her hand. “I can’t live like this. I can’t stay here. I know what I did was wrong. I know it. I cried for weeks on end when I arrived here, eighteen years ago. I don’t know what got into me. I’m not proud I killed them. I wanted to make my dad angry and it— it didn’t work. I regret it. So, so much more than I can even convey. But the only way to make living here easier was to pretend I didn’t care. So I act apathetic and I pretend to be proud of it, but I’m not. I hate myself more and more every day. I just want freedom. Let me out and I’ll never bother you again, I swear. I’ll go live on a farm with cows and live out the rest of my days at peace with the world. Please don’t abandon me here. Everyone in my life has abandoned me. Your grandmother was someone I admired. I don’t want to add her granddaughter to the list of people who turned their backs on me. I’ll do anything.”

Vivianna raised her brows. “That wasn’t bad.”

“Wasn’t bad?” he scoffed. “I went all Shakespeare on you and you said it wasn’t bad? You have no taste.”

“I don’t like watching plays. I just don’t know if Bonnie will fall for it. She’ll know you’re just smarming up to her.”

“Then maybe, you should do a spell to paralyze her. Damon can toss her over his back and we’ll all get out and she’ll just have to deal with it.”

“Are you even absolutely sure that you have everything you need in order to get out of here? You don’t even know the exact spot to capture the full energy of the eclipse. How do you know what to do when you find it? How do you know what to chant to get out? I can’t imagine it’s just putting the blood on the Ascendant and expecting it to do it all on its own.”

Kai pursed his lips and held up a single finger. “The spell. I don’t know if there needs to be a spell or not. But, considering your friend is a Bennett witch, she might know it.”

“Then maybe you should spend your time figuring out a spell.”

“How the hell do I do that?”

“You must have learned a good amount of magic while you were here alone. You just couldn’t use it. One of the first things Travelers are taught is the Czech language for spells. I happen to actually have Czech blood in me, but most don’t. We don’t know the traditions or anything. We just use their language, and we have to know it by heart, or we won't be able to do anything. They teach us how to make spells. Literal translations of words. You witches use Latin and who knows what else. You have to have heard the spell that put you in here. You need to reverse-engineer it.”

He just stared at her. “You really think they teach us that?”

Vivianna huffed. “The majority of you witches are mindless zombies. They just teach you to memorize spells and write them down in your grimoires. Everyone should be making their own twists to spells! It’s what’s supposed to be making magic evolve. No wonder you Geminis hardly manage to track us down. You aren’t developing the sort of new magic that would help you overpower us. We’re constantly making new spells, stringing words together. Every single spell you’ve seen me use, I’ve made up, just from knowing the language.”

Kai wiggled his fingers. “Woo, so fascinating. Stop lecturing me, I’m not a kid. If anyone’s gonna reverse engineer anything, it’s gonna be you.”

“I don’t know Latin. It has to be you.” 

He smirked. “Good thing I’ve had a Latin-to-English dictionary on me since I got here.”

She scoffed when he pulled a small booklet out of his jacket pocket. “You can’t be serious.”

He nudged her with his hip. “I’m making the burgers now. You’re gonna figure out the spell, and then all we’ll need from Miss Bitchy Bratty Bonnie Bennett is her blood. Can’t believe she’d rather stay here than go back out there, solely ‘cause of me. You know, I think she likes me. Hey, do you think if I offered to have angry sex with her, she’d say yes?”

There were two reasons why this statement made Vivianna feel angry. One, because it was revolting how often he felt he needed to make a conversation about sex. Two, because she hated the idea of Kai sleeping with Bonnie.

“She would say no,” said Vivianna harshly, snatching the booklet from him. 

It shouldn’t have mattered to her, but it did. And Kai unfortunately (well, unfortunately for Vivianna, but fortunately for him) caught onto it.

“You’re jealous,” he observed as she went to sit across from him, grabbing a nearby piece of paper and a pen.

“No I’m not,” she said a bit too quickly. “I just think it’s absurd that you think everyone wants to sleep with you. Newsflash, you’re not that hot.”

“Ah… but I am slightly hot.”

“I never said that.”

“You just did.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Alright, play dumb, good girl.” She wasn’t sure why he said this until he leaned over, so he was right in her face. “It’s good practice for when I’ve fucked you dumb. You have no idea how erotic it is… fucking someone so damn hard… for so long… pushing them to the very brink… just to see them looking like mindless zombies when it’s all over. Mindless zombies… heh… that’s what you said about witches, huh? I guess it can apply to Travelers too.”

She gulped, and immediately got out of the seat, starting to leave the kitchen.

“You can leave,” he said in a sing-song voice. “But you just proved me right.”

She ignored him.

She ended up picking a random room, and sitting down with the dictionary, trying her best to find words that made sense in this context. He’d left no marks on it, and without him first telling her the spell that was used to lock him in, she wouldn’t have a place to start.

And so, she was forced to come back downstairs.

“Back so soon?” asked Kai innocently as he dug into the singular hamburger he’d made. 

“You’re a dick, you know that?” she said, seeing he’d left a mess of the ingredients, and had thrown the meat packet (with the remaining meat, which had nothing wrong with it) into the trashcan.

“I know,” he said. “And I love it.”

She went to the refrigerator, forcing herself to eat some yogurt, because it didn't seem like there were any other supplies to cook another meal. “You didn’t tell me the original spell.”

“You said you didn’t want to do it. I assumed you didn’t need to know it. Clearly, you actually want to try.”

“It’s not my fault you came off as so much of a creep that Bonnie’s now being uncooperative.”

Kai rolled his eyes. “No one asked her to be so dramatic.”

“No one asked you to be so apathetic, Malachai! But you do it anyway! That’s why I knocked you out— I was trying to make you come off as at least a little bit good so there wouldn’t be a problem, and then you went and said your piece anyway. I knew this was gonna happen.”

He took a gigantic bite out of his burger and chewed loudly, swallowing an entire lump before saying, “If you knew it was gonna happen, you should have done a better job of preventing it, Vivi.”

She scowled at him. “Just tell me the damn spell and I’ll be in another room.”

“Which room?”

“Figure it out, you’re not blind. Either way, I won’t open the door if you show up.”

“Yes you will. ‘Cause you wanna fuck me as much as I wanna fuck you.”

“The spell,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “Before I off myself to break our connection. Then you’ll have to deal with Bonnie yourself.”

He pursed his lips. “Why would you help me?”

“Oh my fucking—” she swore loudly in a completely different language, and Kai just blinked. “Are you serious? You’re the one who doesn’t know how to reverse spells. You should fucking know! You witches were the ones that tried to hog all the easier forms of magic! I can’t believe this! I’m trying to help because I think you deserve to get out, and all you can do is doubt me and make me feel uncomfortable every time I’m near you! We wouldn’t even be here if you’d managed to kill me. You got lucky, Kai. Lucky that I didn’t die as quickly as I could have. Otherwise, you’d still be stuck in New York, doing who knows what to make yourself feel something other than boredom. Either give me the spell right now or I’m gonna go to sleep and I’m not gonna give a fuck about whether Bonnie leaves you behind or not.”

Kai rolled his eyes. “So dramatic. Here.” He made a grabby hands motion, and she handed him the paper and pen, which he used to write the spell. “Sanguinem filio,” he recited, “sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum.” He wrote another bit. “I also heard them say this: Phasmatos filio, phasmatos effurgarex perpetuum.”

Vivianna took it, and curtsied mockingly. “Thank you, your highness,” she said scathingly. “Wasn’t that hard. You are such a drama queen.”

“And you’re in denial of the fact you want to fuck me,” he called after her once she was walking away.

She spent the next three hours working on the spell. Back and forth, trying to check how simple or complex it needed to be. She worked to translate variations of each individual word, to find out what they meant. At long last, she came up to Kai, who was still sitting on the table while Damon made pancakes, looking uncomfortable, as if he and Kai had had a very tense conversation. Kai, of course, was unbothered.

“Hey,” she said, snapping her fingers in Kai’s face, seeing he was eating jelly straight from the jar with his fingers. “What the hell are you doing?”

He looked up innocently, licking the jam off, and making her face turn red. “Need something?”

She coughed lightly, holding up the Latin dictionary. “Consult.”

“You do realize I overheard your conversation earlier about the spell to get out, right?” said Damon.

Vivianna turned to face him. “But this doesn’t concern you, does it? I just don’t want Bonnie to know.”

“What, and you think I’d snitch?”

“That’s exactly what I think you’d do.”

“Harsh. I won’t tell her.”

“Tell me what?”

“Oh, goody,” said Kai when Bonnie walked in. “Hey, cute pajamas.”

Bonnie ignored him. “Tell me what?”

“Nothing,” said Vivianna sharply. “Doesn’t matter. You don’t want us to get out anyway.”

“For the love of god,” said Bonnie, walking over to the table. “I have no issue with you and Damon getting out, Vivianna. You don’t think I want to leave? I’m just not about to let Kai tag along. We’d be putting the outside world in danger.”

“You do know I could just kill you to be rid of the problem, right?” said Kai.

“Malachai!” said Vivianna sharply. “Not helping!”

“Woah, you two are on a different-than-usual name basis?” Damon asked. “Did you two bang?”

Kai smirked. “No, she’s too stubborn to admit she wants her debut to sex to be with me.” His eyes flickered back to Bonnie. “Vivi already told you guys I’m a siphoner. Maybe a demonstration is in order.”

He moved to Bonnie faster than she could react. He seized her arm and started to siphon, causing Bonnie to cry out in pain. Kai flicked his hand, and the stove caught fire, while Damon held his head, yelling out as if affected by the typical witch spell that made repeated aneurysms in supernatural brains.

“Okay, we get it!” yelled Damon.

Kai released Bonnie, ceasing the spell. “You can see why my coven and I didn’t get along.”

“I smell an ultimatum,” said Damon coldly. 

Kai nodded. “If I consume all of Bonnie's magic I'm just gonna end up killing her. But, if we work together, we can all go home as friends. Or I can devour her magic, kill you both, and go home with Vivi. What's it gonna be?”

“He doesn’t know the spell to get out,” Damon blurted out. “Vivianna’s trying to figure it out.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” said Vivianna. “Damon! What the hell?”

“Maybe next time, keep your freaky boyfriend from burning my mind!” snapped the vampire. “Kai thinks you might know the spell, Bon, ‘cause you’re a Bennett.”

“But I don’t know the spell,” said Bonnie, bewildered. “Are you serious?” She glared at Kai. “You wanted me to let you out and you didn’t even know the spell? We’re screwed!” 

“We might not be, okay?” said Vivianna, opening the dictionary. “I may have figured it out. I just have no way of proving if it’s right or not.”

“Maybe Bonnie can check in Sheila’s grimoire,” said Damon. “She has it.”

“Damon!” shrieked Bonnie. “Why would you—?”

“Hey, I want to get out of here as much as everyone else,” he said. “I’m spilling secrets from both sides to make sure no one can try anything sneaky.”

Bonnie growled. “Fine. What is it, Vivianna?”

The Traveler sat at the table. “Kai told me the spell the Gemini Coven used to send him here. ‘Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Phasmatos filio, Phasmatos effurgarex perpetuum.’ The fully translated sentence doesn’t make much sense, but I was able to understand what was incorporated into it. Spirit magic and Bennett blood to bind the ‘son’ A.K.A, Kai, to this prison world forever because of what he ‘stole’ from the Covens. A.K.A. the lives of children. 

“I figured a counterspell wouldn’t use all that, because from what I've heard, the Geminis have a lot of prison worlds. They can’t afford to be making so many spell variations. So, I guessed the spell to get out would be five words strung together or less. Half of what the regular spell consists of. From there, I noted the words we don’t need. ‘Filio’ is the one that equates to ‘son.’ The spell to get out has to be more general, so that can be thrown out. ‘Perpetuum’ is ‘forever,’ and can be thrown out because clearly, it’s not forever— there is a loophole. ‘Effurgarex’ has to do with the ‘stolen’ bit, and if we’re seeking freedom, we’re not stealing anything else. ‘Phasmatos’ deals with spirits, and since it’s a prison world, only Traditional Magic with herbs and stuff works— anything in the balance of nature. But no Spirit Magic. Thus, I was left with just ‘Sanguinem.’

“In my time hearing witch spells, I’ve heard a lot of variations. They use ‘sanguis,’ ‘sanguinem,’ and ‘sangina.’ I know ‘sangina’ is more common in female witch spells, and since the Bennett line is almost entirely female witches— if not entirely, I don’t know, I never heard of a male witch but there could be one— I figured that’s out starting point, since the main ingredient needed is the Bennett blood. Usually, witch spells start with ‘phasmatos’ or ‘sanguinem’ depending on the main root of the spell. Typically, it’s the spirits. Here, we have to rely on blood.

“Then I started looking up words related to the other major ingredients. We needed something related to the tool we use, the Ascendant. Something related to how that power is captured. So, I figured ‘ascendarum’ for ‘Ascendant,’ and also since the spell should create a sort of vacuum of light that sucks us out. Then, since this is a ‘prison world’ I wanted a word that was representative of that. Initially, I thought ‘carcer,’ could work, but then I realized that because it’s an eclipse and the power is concentrated in such a small area, there needs to be some symmetry. A circle of light to hone the power. Kai was headed into the woods, and when my people arrived here, we learned about the underground tunnels and caverns. That would do it. Going underground just enough to create a very small ring of light which otherwise can’t be made aboveground. That tunnel gave me the idea to use ‘cavea’ instead, for ‘cage.’ Not only representing the prison world, but also, a sort of trapped space to channel the eclipse’s light and get us out of here.

“So then I was left with ‘Sangina Ascendarum Cavea,’ with ‘Cavea’ after ‘Ascendarum’ because we’re using the Ascendant to get out of the cage and channel the light. Not the other way around, which would be using the cage to hone the power of the Ascendant. That implies trapping the Ascendant too, and it can make its inner magical system unstable. There’s a thing with witches, though, that I’ve heard of when it comes to advanced spells. While in mythology, three is almost a sacred number, here, it doesn’t represent much of a balance. So, us Travelers, when making spells, like to use a ‘balance word’ when our spells have only three words to them. It isn’t fully necessary for the spell to take place, but it gives it more power, to ensure the magnitude doesn’t lead to chaos. 

“This was the difficult one to figure out, until I started thinking of the actual magic, since we’re not using ‘phasmatos’ to denote spirits. And it came to me, this word that I’ve heard some Bennett witches use. ‘Mearma.’ When split into just two syllables, you get ‘Me arma’ which when thinking about it in Spanish, almost sounds like ‘my weapon.’ And I thought, that’s it. The weapon we’re using to break us out is magic, duh. So then I added ‘Mearma’ to create, ‘Sangina Mearma, Ascendarum Cavea.’ With ‘Mearma’ before the other bits because it’s the magic that enables the Ascendant to work.”

They were all staring at her, none of them knowing what to say. She shrank back in the chair, before Kai took the Ascendant out of his pocket. He waved his hand, beckoning for Vivianna to extend her arm to him. She did, and he took it, starting to siphon. He then chanted, “Sangina Mearma, Ascendarum Cavea.”

The Ascendant clicked, before opening.

“Holy fucking shit, Vivi,” said Kai as Bonnie and Damon’s eyes widened. “I could kiss you right now.”

A/N: Happy 100 pages! I don't know how soon is 'too soon' for them to get down and dirty with each other. We'll see when it happens.

Chapter Text

Vivianna was as red as a tomato.

“Damn,” said Damon as he came over with the stack of pancakes. “You’re telling me a fucking Traveler figured that out and neither of you could?” He used the spatula to point between Bonnie and Kai.

“I only just learned that Kai didn’t know the spell,” said Bonnie indignantly. “Don’t rope me into this.”

“Oh, I’m roping you into it,” said Damon, making a face as Kai pulled some of the pancakes off the stack and started biting into them without bothering to get a plate.

“It’s settled, then,” said Vivianna more firmly, fanning her face a bit. Everyone was still looking at her. Especially Kai, who was eating the pancakes maddeningly slow. “We’re getting out tomorrow. We have everything we need other than the location. As soon as we get to it, we’re getting out.”

Bonnie didn’t look too chuffed about this, but it was three against one. She gave a gruff sigh before grabbing a pancake and leaving.

“She doesn’t like me very much,” said Kai as if this was news to him. 

“I had no idea,” said Vivianna sarcastically. “I’m going to sleep.”

To no one’s surprise, Kai followed her.

“Damon said the showers are really awesome here,” said Kai, trotting behind her. “Maybe you wanna do a test run together?”

Vivianna started walking faster. “How many times do I have to say ‘no, not interested’ before it gets through your thick skull?”

“Well, to be fair, you’ve never said those exact words.”

“I’m saying them now. Let me test my shower in peace.”

“I wanna see it. The shower. To know if it’s better than the one in my room.”

“They’re the same!”

“No they’re not, I looked in other rooms and they’re different.”

“It doesn’t matter, Kai, we’re only gonna be here for one more night. The showers the modern day Salvatore House has must be way better. Maybe Damon will feel pity for you and let you live there.”

“I did want to ask you about that,” said Kai, putting his arm through the doorway when she tried to slam it shut in his face. “Where are you gonna go after this?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “There aren’t any more Travelers so I don’t have to worry about mass gatherings, but… I also don’t know if I can stay in any one place for too long.”

“How do you know when it’s time to move?”

“You start feeling this… itch. This paranoia and the sensation of throwing up. Starts a few days before you really have to get out of there, ‘cause otherwise, you practically become a beacon calling the witches forth. My family always moved before that got too intense. I might have to passenger myself into someone again. Or maybe it’ll all be fine. I don’t know. I’ll find out four months from now. If, when in my real body, I have no issues after that, I’ll know the curse is partially broken just from the mass deaths.”

“You don’t know much about Spirit and Traditional Magic. Just what you’ve managed to hear in the past. How did you figure out the spell?”

She sighed in exasperation. “I used the damn dictionary and the spell-reversal process that was taught to me, I thought I made that clear already. I don’t need to be well-versed in Spirit Magic to do that once I have a main spell to work off of. I didn’t even know if it would work, but it did. So can we just drop it?”

“You think things in a good way.”

She blinked. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

He looked almost flustered. “Just… good thinking.”

A playful smirk rose onto her face. “You can say I’m smart, you know. I’m glad you’re finally accepting that I’m better than you, Malachai.”

“You’re not smart,” he scoffed, turning away and looking down the hallway. “That’s a compliment.”

“And ‘good thinking’ isn’t?”

“Shut up, Vivi. I’m smarter than you.”

“Maybe when it comes to physics and math and planning routes. But you couldn’t figure this out. I could.”

“Whatever,” he said, shrugging. 

It shouldn’t have been so hard to tell her that she’d done something right, and he was impressed. But he felt like it went against his very nature to say a single nice thing about her. To acknowledge that in some aspects, she was better than him. His whole life he’d been made to feel weak. He just had to prove everyone otherwise. And how could he do that when he’d just been defeated? 

Still, he wanted to make her feel something more positive. He imagined he would have liked a compliment if he’d been the one to figure it out. She was, after all, the reason they were going to be free. Gratitude was difficult, but he could fake it. Fake it over and over again until maybe it started to feel real.

He wished it could be real. He’d hardly cared to have emotions in the past. It was pleasant, lacking the significant burdens that regular people had on a day-to-day basis. Kai could focus on himself without feeling like he had to be a good samaritan. 

But he’d seen Vivianna’s kindness to him before. She could be ruthless if she wanted to be, and the girl’s temper never fully died down, but there seemed to be a switch she could flip. A more gentle tone would emerge, and suddenly, she could make others feel better. It didn’t quite make her lose the parts of herself that were more fierce.

He wanted that. But to have that, he needed even some slight empathy. That was virtually impossible. He couldn’t manage that, not in a sociopathic mind. He would simply have to keep pretending.

“So,” he said, seeing Vivianna was now getting her clothes ready to shower. “Since I’m implying that you have nice brains and whatnot… what do you say you let me fuck them out of you?”

“I’m sorry, what?” 

“Let me fuck your brains out.”

She looked mildly confused despite also being flustered, and he continued, “If you don’t know what that means, it basically entails me giving you the fucking time of your life over and over again until you can’t walk or talk or anything. You’d literally be snoozing right afterward to replenish.”

“Can you just wait til tomorrow?” she said, shaking her head, trying to feign a lack of curiosity in the matter. “You’ll be in the real world, you can do whatever the fuck you want. I’m sure someone will be desperate enough to sleep with you.”

“Wow, you want me to fuck someone else? What happened to jealous Vivi who didn’t want me thinking about Bonnie that way?”

She grumbled. “I don’t care who you think about in that way, it doesn’t fucking matter. Just— stop it. Stop bothering me.”

“I’d rather fuck you than anyone out there.”

“Too bad.” She grabbed onto her necklace and swept up her hand, slamming the door shut. 

“Vivi don’t be like that,” said Kai, patting the door. “Come on.”

He heard the shower running, and knew she wasn’t going to hear him anymore.

They had a pancake breakfast the next morning, where Kai was once again eating and staring at Vivianna to see how she’d react. She managed to ignore him.

At eleven-fifty, they went out into the woods, with Kai walking ahead and looking through the Ascendant.

“You’re in a good mood for the first time this decade,” said Bonnie when she saw how chipper Damon looked. He poked her with a stick, and she frowned. “Stop that.”

“Because I have a hot date with my girl tonight,” he said. “Thanks to Miss Traveler here, we’re gonna go home.”

“Assuming the spell works,” said Bonnie.

“It will work,” said Vivianna. “Kai already proved it. There can only be one spell to open the Ascendant and that was it. The only thanks I need is returning and hopefully finding your pals waiting for me with a huge jar of Traveler ashes.”

“I’m thinking dinner and a movie,” said Damon, ignoring everything she just said. “You know what? Screw the dinner and a movie. Skip straight to the good part.”

“You’re gross,” said Vivianna, rolling her eyes.

“You’re just inexperienced. Trust me. The chemistry between me and my girl… phew. It’s like fireworks when it finally happens. You two need to lighten up.”

“Look,” said the Bennett witch, “I want to go home more than anything but Kai's a sociopath, who's to say he won't screw us over?”

Vivianna sighed. “We already have everything we need. Kai doesn’t have room to screw us over anymore. I know it. I don’t fully trust the guy, but he wants to get out of here. He’s wanted to get out of here for eighteen years. He wouldn’t screw up his one chance at freedom.”

“I’ll kill Kai and anyone who comes in the way of me going home,” said Damon. “You can count on that.”

“I heard my name,” said Kai, suddenly appearing from behind a tree. “All good I hope.” He held up the Ascendant. “The eclipse will happen directly overhead. In perfect alignment with the Gemini constellation.” He handed a pickaxe to Damon. “You need to dig into the tunnels below us. Vivi was right about us needing a circle of light. Start digging.”

“And then what?” demanded Bonnie. 

Kai gasped playfully. “Have you never portal-jumped through an eclipse before?” Noticing their lack of amusement, he said, “Okay look, the light of the eclipse will shine down and activate the Ascendant, you spout a little witchy woo and then poof! Anyone standing in the circle of light holding the Ascendant goes home.”

“So we’re gonna need to be all holding onto each other,” said Vivianna.

“Correct,” said Kai. “I think it should go this way. Bonnie with the Ascendant on her hand, then me with my hand under hers, then Vivi’s hand under mine, then Damon’s under Vivi. That way, my hand is sandwiched between the hold of the two women who refuse to admit they wanna have sex with me—”

“You can’t assume everyone wants to have sex with you, holy fuck,” said Vivianna. “You’re sounding way too arrogant.”

Kai just smirked, and started to walk away. “Where are you going?” demanded Damon.

“Into town,” said the siphoner. “I need to... gather some important supplies. Vivi, come with.”

“Go with him,” suggested Damon. “I have to dig and you need to make sure he doesn’t stab us in the back.”

Vivianna sighed, and started to follow after Kai. “What’s so important, huh?” she asked. “What do you really need?”

“I realized I want some more stuff to take with me.” He held up his backpack. “There are just some important items I really gotta have in the real world. More Zima, for one. You mentioned they don’t make those as often.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, of course, the most essential item you could possibly bring.”

“Do you think I should take some 1994 condoms too or will the ones in the real world be better?”

“Are you stupid? Of course the ones in the real world will be better, it’s 2012 out there. Eighteen years worth of development. You feel the need to turn everything sexual, and it’s annoying.”

“I don’t know, Vivi, maybe it’s because it clearly affects you. I like bothering you.”

“Feel free to bother literally anyone else once we’re out of here. I’ll be glad if I never see you again.”

“That’s the thing though, isn’t it?” he said. “We still don’t know how this connection we have is going to work in the real world. Maybe we won’t be able to stay away from each other.”

“I know how the connection works. We can be away from each other and still augment the other’s power.”

“How do you break the connection?”

“One of us has to die.”

“Does the other absorb the power?”

“No, this isn’t like the fucking Merge. It’s the end of the line. The power drops immediately. Any augmentation can only last as long as the connection. So if you were to die, I’d be reduced to the weak magical signature I had when I first arrived here. And if I die… well, I don’t know how much it’ll affect you, but you won’t have a constant source to siphon anymore.” 

Kai just pursed his lips. “So if I get drunk, do you get drunk?”

“I don’t think it works that way.”

“How does Connective Magic transfer over when having—”

“Oh my god, shut up!” she said, covering her ears. “I don’t know how it works and I don’t want to know how it works— ew!”

“What?” he said innocently. “I just want to know if it means that we climax at the same time.”

“Shut up,” she repeated with a grunt.

Kai was incredibly amused as he moved around different stores around the main park of Mystic Falls. Vivianna looked like she hated being there with him, and he found that quite fun. Though, he was disappointed that his advances yielded nothing. He was so certain she liked him, at least a little bit.

“Looks like we got back just in time,” said Kai when they found Damon had managed to break open a hole into the cavern below. He set down the backpack of supplies, and Damon sped forward, snatching the pack and tearing it open to check its contents.

“Zima, grunge, every Alex Rodriguez rookie card known to man, and a pager?” asked Damon in disbelief.

Kai beamed. “555-Hiya-Kai, no way I’m giving those digits up.”

“Pagers aren’t even a thing anymore,” said Bonnie under her breath. 

“These are the important supplies you needed to get?” asked Damon loudly. He looked up at the sky, where the eclipse would be happening soon. “You left me digging here for twenty-five minutes just so you could get this crap?”

“Look,” said Kai calmly, “the future sounds great, all right? I'm super excited about the Internet, but 1994 has been my home for most of my life. I'd hate to get homesick. So why don’t you finish making this a perfect circle so we can get down there?”

Damon growled. “You didn’t dig at all, don’t tell me how perfect it needs to be.”

“It has to be a circle,” said Vivianna awkwardly. “Not entirely perfect but as good as you can get it.”

Suddenly, Bonnie cried out, “Motus!”

The pickaxe flew through the air, lodging itself in Kai’s chest. “NO!” yelled Damon. “No— Bonnie!”

“We don’t need him,” said Bonnie as Kai fell, dead. 

“I have some bad news for you,” said Vivianna, pursing her lips. “He can’t die.”

“What?” shrieked Bonnie.

“You didn’t think to mention that earlier?” demanded Damon.

“I didn’t think I had to!” she said. “I didn’t think you’d try to murder him!”

“Well, how long does it take him to come back?”

“Around fifteen minutes! He comes back faster and faster each time!”

“Oh, shit,” said Bonnie, checking the time and seeing it was 12:16 already. “There’s only twelve minutes until the eclipse.”

Damon started to dig more frantically, as if that would change anything. He managed to make a more perfect circle before jumping down into the cavern. “There should be an entrance if you guys walk further into the forest,” he said. 

Bonnie seemed to know where it was, and she started to lead the way. Vivianna was tempted to pick Kai up and bring her with them.

But she had a feeling he’d be waking up before the eclipse could happen.

Was it bad that she hoped he would?

“It’s almost time,” said Bonnie when her watch marked 12:26. “Come on…” she used the Ascendant to slice into her wrist, then dripped the blood onto it. 

“Alright,” said Damon as Bonnie held the Ascendant up. “Let’s get awkward.”

He put his hand under Bonnie’s, and Vivi hesitantly placed hers beneath Damon’s. “I won’t be able to chant the spell,” she said. “But this connection should be enough for you to channel me.” She pursed her lips. “Are you sure we can’t… just have Kai tag along?”

“Oh, yes, brilliant idea,” said Damon. “Let’s bring a dead body with us to the real world. He’ll probably stay dead.”

Suddenly, an arrow whizzed out, and the three leapt apart as Bonnie was thrown back, and arrow lodged in her side. The Ascendant had slipped out of her hands, just short of her reach.

“Forgetting someone?” said Kai from the entrance to the tunnels, holding a crossbow. “Did you really think I hadn’t tried to kill myself before? Because I had. Lots of times, lots of ways.” He noticed Damon eyeing the Ascendant as he reloaded his crossbow. “Grab that, and the next arrow goes in her heart. Your choice.”

Instead, Damon sped to Bonnie, ripping out the arrow. He was just about to feed her his blood when—

“DAMON, NO!” yelled Bonnie, seeing Kai making a beeline to the Ascendant.

Damon sped to Kai, slamming him into the nearest wall. This time, it was Vivianna that tried to grab the Ascendant, but Bonnie held up her hand.

“We’re not taking him with us!” said Bonnie, causing Vivianna to fall into the circle of light. “Motus!”

Damon suddenly flew into the circle, and seconds later, the Ascendant zoomed into his hand. 

“NO!” he yelled, realizing what she’d done.

Vivianna shielded her eyes immediately as a flash of light burst throughout the whole room. Suddenly Damon was gone, and the Ascendant fell to the ground, shattering upon impact.

Kai let out a furious yell as Vivianna scrambled forward, starting to gather all the pieces of the Ascendant. Off to the side, Bonnie was now unconscious.

“I’m gonna fucking kill her,” said Kai venomously as he stormed over, grabbing some pieces himself.

“Talking like that is exactly why she’s adamant about leaving you in here!” said Vivianna irritably. “I’m not happy about this either. You shot her with a damn arrow, how was she supposed to feel?” She grabbed at his collar when he started to spout out curses. “Hey! Listen to me! You’re gonna go and pick her up, and you’re gonna carry her back to the house. I’m gonna get the pieces of the Ascendant and meet you there. I’ll heal her, and when she wakes up, you’re gonna apologize for shooting her— I don’t care if you don’t mean it. You’re not gonna hurt her again, do you understand me?”

He swiped his hand out, wrapping it around her throat and pushing her to the ground, so that he was hovering on top of her.

“Don’t boss me around, Vivi,” he said lowly. “No one gets to tell me what to do.”

“Clearly someone should,” she said, struggling to breathe. “You… don’t think…”

He started to press more on the sides of her neck instead of slamming his hand over her trachea. Her gasps changed to groans of mild discomfort, which he took a different way.

“As nice as it is,” he whispered, “to see you being choked under me… I don’t want you giving me orders, got it? You’re not the one in charge here. I am.”

She patted his arm weakly, trying to get him to stop. He squeezed a bit harder, and she whimpered, not sure why this wasn’t bringing her pain. As lightheaded as she was, it wasn’t the kind that made her want to throw up. She felt like she was floating. Clearly, whatever face she was making was pleasing to him, because he smirked suddenly, and let go.

“You took that like a champ,” he said, his face still inches away from her. “And you enjoyed it.”

“Not when you were crushing my windpipe,” she said, massaging her neck as she shoved him back. “Fucking weirdo.”

“Am I the weirdo? You’re the one who just learned you like being choked.”

“I don’t like being choked.”

“You sure do. Maybe you like having your hair pulled, too.”

“No I—”

She’d turned around to bring herself up to her feet, and he’d seized her hair, burying his fingers up against her scalp before pulling her toward him, so that her back was against his chest, and his mouth beside her ear. She’d let out a slight yelp of surprise, which Kai obviously liked.

“Tell me the truth now, Vivi," he purred, "don’t be a little liar. Do you like it?”

He tugged at her hair, and she expected it to hurt, but all she could really think about was the way his hips were pressed into hers. It felt forbidden. And yet, she was enjoying it. Being this close to him. She pushed her hips back, causing him to seize her waist with his other hand, squeezing it lightly. 

“We’re clearly going to spend one more night in here,” he said in her ear. “Why don’t we make the most of it?”

“I don’t want to regret it,” she said quietly. “I can’t handle that, Malachai.”

“Why would you regret it?”

“Be honest. Is this going to become anything more or are you just gonna fuck me and leave?”

He didn’t answer, and she tore away from him.

“Then it doesn’t really matter what I want, does it?” she said, looking hurt. “Because you’re gonna do it your way anyway. This whole time, you’ve wanted things done your way. I tried to make things better for you, and you just couldn’t help but open your mouth and make them think horrible things about you. Bonnie's never gonna let us out of here, Kai. Because you’re making her see all the bad parts of you. And that girl— she’s made every effort to be a good person. So if you don’t show her any good that she can relate to, she’s never gonna think that you’re worthy of freedom.”

Chapter Text

Bonnie didn’t wake up until the next day.

Vivianna had healed her, and had remained at her side throughout the night while Kai went upstairs, looking frustrated with everyone present.

He didn’t like that he’d clearly hurt Vivianna’s feelings. He hadn’t expected her to want more. He figured she’d just want to learn what sex was like then move on to do it with someone she liked more. He’d never anticipated that she wanted a relationship to come out of it.

He felt pity for her. Because she had the burden of every emotion under the sun. And clearly, those emotions were pushing her towards him. A sociopath who could never feel the same way about her.

It wasn’t that he hated her. She was likable, and beautiful, and he could tolerate knowing her for a more extended period of time in the real world, especially since she wouldn’t be the only person he’d be able to talk to.

But could he picture himself in a relationship with her? No. He’d never had a formal girlfriend. Just flings that sometimes circled back for a repeat of what was meant to be a singular passionate night. His other siblings had dated people. Jo had had a few boyfriends that Kai had somewhat gotten along with. He’d seen Joey with a girlfriend once. His other siblings had been far too young for dating, but he’d caught sight of a few of the television shows they enjoyed, where two people would be together, going on dates.

Dates were the easy part. It was all about eating and having sex afterward, right? That wouldn’t take much effort.

Yet, knowing Vivianna, he knew she’d want more. A connection he couldn’t manage. An emotional state he wasn’t capable of. 

Perhaps it was better for them to do nothing with one another if it would only end in misery for her. Kai could survive without her, even if he didn't wish to adjust to a life away from her, now that he’d gotten to know her. But if he slept with her then never spoke to her again, he felt it might take too much of a toll on her. It was clear she only wanted to do it with someone he trusted. If he let himself in bed with her just to walk away, he’d be betraying that initial trust.

The trust he didn’t even want her to have.

It wasn’t like Vivianna wanted to trust him, either. It sounded foolish, trying to pinpoint all the good things for the sake of having a little bit of faith that he’d come through in the end and pull his weight to help them all escape. But she knew there had to be some good, even if he was a sociopath. It couldn’t have all been bad. 

Maybe she was just a bigger idiot than she thought herself to be.

Kai didn’t like when people expected things of him. If Vivianna grew to trust him, she’d start to expect him to act certain ways, and she’d only be disappointed when he didn’t meet her standards. He knew he would break that trust at one point or another, it wasn’t exactly a question of if, it was a question of when. The idea of seeing her so distraught wasn’t making him feel any joy.

“Morning,” he said, chipper as usual when he came downstairs. “Oh, look who’s awake!”

Vivianna didn’t acknowledge him despite his greeting, as she was more focused on making sure Bonnie could sit up properly. It seemed she’d just come to moments ago. 

“What time is it?” she asked, staring down at the blood on her side. She felt over where the wound had been, and found it gone.

“Ten-forty-five1,” said Kai. “How do you feel?”

She glared at him. “Like you shot me with an arrow.”

“Right,” said Kai, appearing unbothered. “Anyhoo—” he gestured to where Vivianna had deposited the pieces of the Ascendant. “I have no idea how you managed to shatter the Ascendant into a billion pieces, but we need to put it together before the eclipse at twelve-twenty-eight. You want to help? You look like a puzzle person.”

“I don’t want to help,” said Bonnie harshly. “You're a psychopath. This place is your prison. I'm not letting you out. Besides, you'll just kill me the minute we get out.”

“No one is killing anyone,” said Vivianna. “Unless we all pitch in, no one is making it home. I think Kai will be glad to leave as soon as we get back, right?”

“Sure,” he said. “Provided you don’t pull another trick leaving us stranded in here, Bonnie. Just remember… all I have to do is hold your hand, and your magic suddenly becomes mine.”

“Hey,” snapped Vivianna when Kai got closer to Bonnie, as if to siphon. “Don’t hurt—”

Bonnie swiped out faster than either of them expected to, grabbing a pen that’d been on the table before stabbing it into Kai’s neck.

Vivianna shrieked. “Bonnie! Damn it—” suddenly, her body went rigid, and she saw Bonnie was looking right at her. “What the hell did you do?”

Bonnie didn’t reply. She scooped the pieces of the Ascendant into her bag before rushing out the door. Vivianna nearly fell on her face, her legs moving without her consent, forcing her to follow Bonnie.

“Stop it!” she cried. “Whatever you’re doing to me, stop it!”

“You’re gonna follow me,” said Bonnie. “Only you and I are getting out, not him!”

Vivianna tried to hold onto a nearby tree to hold herself back, but her arms weren’t responding, and she was made to continue walking behind Bonnie, who rushed them to a blue car, likely belonging to Damon. “How— how are you making me follow you?” 

“Get in the car,” said Bonnie, and the Traveler had no choice but to listen. “We’re leaving. Right now.” She then started to explain. “There was a time when I could only perform Expression. And I learned there was a spell I could do to link myself with someone else, restraining someone’s movements and making them go anywhere I want them to go. As soon as I was able to use Traditional Magic for it, I wrote my own spell. He can’t kill me, because he needs my blood. And he won’t hurt you because you actually seem to matter to him. This way, we’re safe. Whatever he does to one will happen to the other. He won’t be able to fight back, and I’ll be able to subdue him as many times as it takes so that we get out, and not him.”

“Who put you in charge of this prison world?” demanded Vivianna. “If this is your idea of justice, how about you let me use my own limbs?”

“He killed four kids,” said Bonnie. “He’s proud of it. His own siblings, Vivianna.”

“I’m not saying that what he did is okay, but how will he ever have a chance to make it up to anyone and earn even a semblance of forgiveness if he isn’t given the opportunity to prove that this punishment taught him something?”

Bonnie shook her head. “You care about him too much. I get that you two bonded or whatever when you were on your trip, but you can’t forget he hurt you. Sure, maybe he helped you afterward, but only because he hurt you in a good place. I don’t believe he could ever be better.”

“I think I can help him,” she said pleadingly. “The Travelers cursed the Gemini, just as the witches cursed the Travelers in the first place. I could do a spell to make him not be a sociopath anymore. He could feel real guilt and remorse and all that.”

“You don’t know if that’s gonna work. You’re one Traveler and the Gemini Coven must be gigantic at this point.”

“I don’t need to undo the spell on all the Gemini. Just on him. Bonnie—”

“I don’t want to hear it anymore, Vivianna. I owe you, and I want you to get out of here so you can live your life as best as you can. But him? He’s in there for a reason. A reason we’d have been punished for if we were in his shoes, too. He has to accept that.”

She pulled up to a different house, which seemed to be on the other side of the forest that was by the Salvatore House. This was another mansion, perhaps more luxurious. 

“He wouldn’t expect us to be so close by,” said Bonnie, dumping the contents of her bag (which really only consisted of pieces of the Ascendant) onto a nearby table. She started looking through them, then snapped her fingers. “Help me, please. I can’t do this on my own.”

“I don’t want to help you,” said Vivianna. “If you want to control my body and keep him from getting out, do it yourself.”

Bonnie stared at her incredulously. “I’m trying to protect innocent people out in the world! Someone could hurt them!”

“I’ve hurt them,” she spat. “I’m the one that made a living off of killing people, not him. I’m just as bad as him. Probably worse.”

“Seriously, why do you care so much?”

“Why don’t you care at all? You’re supposed to be the good one, the one that's never killed anyone, and you’d stoop low enough to punish someone you don’t know? You may be free of sin or whatever but it doesn’t make you the purveyor of fairness. I know why he did it. I know how his family made him feel. And it’s still inexcusable, I know that. But I understand it. And I feel bad for him. He deserves to be free even if it doesn’t bring back those kids. He has to have a chance to prove he can become better. I can figure out how to help him. I can.”

Bonnie wasn’t hearing any of it. And so, she had to resort to completing the Ascendant on her own. Vivianna couldn't get any closer than two feet away, since it seemed Bonnie didn’t trust her to swipe a piece to keep her from finishing it.

It seemed to have gone badly anyway.

“Where's the last piece?” said Bonnie desperately. “Where is it—? Oh… this isn’t happening.”

Suddenly, all the lights in the house went out.

“Oh, great,” said Vivianna, sighing harshly. “He found us.”

“No!” cried Bonnie. “How the hell—? He can’t have done it so fast, he didn’t have magic—”

“I don’t need magic.”

They turned and saw Kai standing in the doorway. “Looking for this?” he asked, holding up the missing piece. “You stole the Ascendant and you stole Vivi. Naughty Bonnie.”

“How did you find us?” asked Vivianna, genuinely curious. 

“The Connective Spell, Vivi darling,” he said playfully, though he was pleased to see that the word ‘darling’ had made the Traveler blush. “All I had to do was concentrate, and I knew exactly where you were. I closed my eyes and walked until I ended up here.”

“Vados!” cried Bonnie suddenly. 

The windows exploded all around him, and Bonnie snatched the Ascendant up, starting to sprint. Vivianna had no choice but to follow after her, stumbling to where the car was parked. Kai, however, had caught up to them, and he’d hidden the crossbow in the plants beside it. An arrow whizzed out, and lodged itself into Bonnie’s chest, on the opposite side as her heart.

The Bennett witch fell first, and Vivianna right after her. Clearly, this had confused Kai, because he ran to Vivianna first.

“What the hell?” he said, turning her to lay on her back, and seeing her chest was bleeding. “No!”

“Linked,” she gasped, bringing her hands up to cover the wound and whimpering. “We’re linked…”

Kai immediately looked furious. “I need to siphon, and it’s gonna hurt, but it’s the only way I can stop this.”

She was in no position to ask him to do anything else. He grabbed onto her face, and she let out a whimper as he siphoned. He waited until he had enough magic, just before she passed out, before running to Bonnie, yanking the arrow out, and putting his hand on her chest, mumbling a quick spell and healing her.

“You clever little bitch,” he told Bonnie. “You figured that if you could just get me to kill you, you’d get your way, because I’d be all alone here again with no one for company.”

“Leave her alone, Kai,” said Vivianna, getting up and massaging where the wound had been. “Let’s just get back to the caverns, okay? Please.”

Kai made another move on Bonnie, as if to yank her to her feet, but Vivianna moved between them, and shoved her knee into Kai’s chest, slamming him to the ground.

“I said leave her alone,” she said fiercely. “For fuck’s sake, stop doing this to each other, you’re acting like children. Let’s all get out of here with no more arrows fired, okay? Please.”

“Fine,” said Bonnie, getting up. “But I swear to god, Kai, as soon as we get to the real world, I want you gone. Get the hell out of Virginia and never come back. I want to live my life in peace.”

Kai looked between her and Vivianna before pursing his lips. “K. Only if Vivi comes with me.”

“Okay, whatever, I’ll go with you,” she said, figuring she might as well comply. “Can we all just walk back to the woods now? We have forty-five minutes until the eclipse, and we’re not gonna make it if we don’t get a move on right now.”

They had to walk, because Bonnie refused to drive them. Kai was fine with that. He walked ahead, whistling as if it was the greatest day in the world. Which for him, it was.

“He’s gonna kill you,” muttered Bonnie to Vivianna. “As soon as he gets bored of you…”

“Let me handle it, okay? Somehow, I don’t think he’d do that. He’s grown used to my company. It’ll take awhile for him to feel like he can let go of me.”

It was going to take her awhile, too. Despite knowing that Kai was not going to want to be there in the long run as a partner, she couldn’t help but feel like she wanted to know him a bit more before she decided to call it quits. She didn’t want to let go of him just yet. 

“I brought you a present,” said Kai once they reached the caverns, right at twelve-twenty-five. He opened the bag he had with him with his ‘essential supplies’ and brought out Bonnie’s teddy bear, which he must have seen downstairs. “Ta-da! Ms. Cuddles. Thought you might want to bring her along.”

“Thanks,” said Bonnie half-heartedly.

“I know you think I’m a monster,” said Kai. “I mean, I did murder or heavily maim most of my immediate family, but after a long period of self-reflection, I've come to the conclusion that I could have handled my anger better.”

Bonnie sighed. “You said you wanted to get out of here... And I quote... ‘To give the rest of the Gemini Coven an excruciating death.’”

“I didn't mean it,” said Kai, and it almost sounded like he was telling the truth. “Honestly, I would do anything to get my family back, and the thing I'm most scared of is trying to figure out how to live in the world again. You're a good person, Bonnie. You're brave, loyal, patient. I want to be more like you.” He held up Ms. Cuddles and put on a high-pitched voice. “What do you say? Friends?”

Vivianna couldn’t tell if he was just lying to get Bonnie to be nicer to him, or if he was genuinely complimenting her. Either way, she felt a surge of jealousy, especially when Kai made Ms. Cuddles blow Bonnie a kiss.

It was so stupid. Being jealous of that. Knowing damn well Kai could just be lying to cover his ass. But still, it bothered her, even more so when Kai had tucked the bear back into the bag, set it at Bonnie’s feet, then placed the Ascendant in her hand. His had been put under hers immediately, thumb looping around to hold her palm properly. It was likely to make sure she couldn’t swat him away at the last second, but Vivianna didn’t like the sight of it.

“Come on, Vivi,” said Kai, gesturing for her to come closer. “It’s now or never.”

She slowly approached, placing her hand under his. As the eclipse started to happen overhead, Bonnie cut her hand on the edge of the Ascendant, then dropped her blood over it.

“Sangina Mearma,” she chanted, “Ascendarum Cavea. Sangina Mearma, Ascendarum Cavea. Sangina Mearma, Ascendarum Cavea…”

“So long, nineteen-ninety-four,” said Kai happily, tapping his foot against the backpack so it could tag along, too.

Suddenly, the words changed.

“Sangina Mearma, un magica,” said Bonnie, before ceasing her chanting.

Kai stared at her. “What the hell was that? Those weren’t the words! Keep going!”

“I can’t,” said Bonnie simply. “I’ve lost my magic.”

“What are you talking about?” snapped Kai. “You were just doing the spell!” He gripped Bonnie’s arm, trying to siphon, before staring at her in disbelief. “There’s nothing there. There’s no magic.”

“It’s so strange,” said Bonnie. “I wonder if I accidentally put it somewhere. Oh, I remember now. I put it somewhere safe.”

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” said Vivianna, snatching the Ascendant from her, trying to see if she could sense anything on it. 

“Do you remember saying you wanted to be more like me?” Bonnie asked Kai. “Brave, loyal, patient?”

Kai laughed darkly. “You put it in the bear, didn't you?” He picked up the bag, before realizing Ms. Cuddles was no longer in there. “Come on! Where’s the stupid bear, hmm?”

“Oh, it’s gone,” said Bonnie. “I guess we’re stuck here forever. Sorry.”

Kai started to hyperventilate, and raised his arm as if to hit her, but Vivianna stopped him.

“Calm the fuck down,” she said angrily. “I’m not happy either, but you will not hit her.”

“Tomorrow, we try this again,” said Kai, seeing that Vivianna’s hand did not have a cut on it, but Bonnie’s did. “The link broke. I’ll siphon from you, Vivi, and do the spell, and Bonnie will give us the blood if she wants to get out.”

“It’s not gonna work,” said Bonnie. 

Kai growled. “And how would you know? When I siphoned from her, it activated the Ascendant.”

“She’s a Traveler. You can use her magic no problem for smaller spells. Healing. The activation. But to actually power the portal-jump? It’s impossible. No matter what spell you two have connecting you, her magic isn’t strong enough. It’s Traveler Magic. What’s to say that using it won’t send a beacon to whoever the Gemini leader is? Maybe that leader would even go as far as to come in here and make sure you don’t get out. They might even be kind enough to let us out.”

“Well, then I guess that leads us to our next potential solution,” he said. “I break the spell on Vivi.”

“You what?” said Vivianna and Bonnie at the same time.

“If her Traveler magic can’t power the spell,” said Kai, “then I need to make sure she can provide non-Traveler magic. It’s simple. She’s the last Traveler. Shouldn’t take a genius to break the spell that keeps her from doing Traditional Magic.”

“The Geminis weren’t the only witches who cursed the Travelers, you know,” said Bonnie. “What makes you think that you can manage that single-handedly when you don’t even have your own magic?”

A wicked grin came onto his face. “Well… I may not have my own magic, but I just figured out where I can find some. It was right in front of me so many times and I never thought…” he rubbed his hands together, before grabbing onto Vivianna’s hand and starting to siphon. She let out a yelp before he said, “Somnus lethargus confuto.”

Bonnie sank down, fast asleep.

“You and I are gonna gather all the magic we can,” he said. “Every last object. I don’t care if it belongs to the Travelers or to witches.”

“What the hell did you do to her?” asked Vivianna, seeing Bonnie was very still.

“A very easy spell that leaves her comatose,” said Kai. “We can leave her right here and no one will lay a hand on her, if you really care so much. She won’t feel hunger or anything. It’s like her body has been frozen. She won’t wake until I want her to wake. There. No Bitchy Bonnie to bother us.”

Vivianna stared at him, bewildered. “You actually want to break my curse? You… you think you can?”

“It’s the only way to make sure this Connection Spell strengthens us more,” he said. “I can try. I doubt I can manage it here, but I can out there. So I won’t try to break in here. But I want us to fill bags of magical objects so that we have enough fuel to do it out there. We need to go back to Portland. Before you say how we were already over there, I only just remembered something that might help us. From there, we need to go where you lived in 1994. So that I can get every last magical object your parents had. And if you know where other Travelers lived back then, even better. So, where to first?”

She looked down at Bonnie. “Well, let’s get her to the house and gather supplies. After that…” she gulped. “Kai, we’re gonna be here at least another few weeks.”

“What?” he said in disbelief. “How—?”

“We never got to take all our stuff with us. We had to get new dark objects each time. So the ones my parents owned are scattered around the country. Remember how I told you that we’d get at most four months in one place in our real bodies, and only three years in another’s body?”

“Yes…”

“I was born in 1990. In that year, we moved between Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Clemente. We settled in San Francisco from 1991 to 1994. Then, in 1994, we moved between Sacramento, Davis, and Greenfield before moving to Arizona at the start of 1995. We won’t need to go to Arizona… or Greenfield… we were in Davis in May. Which means…”

“We’re driving all over California before we even get to Portland,” he said. “Okay. Terrible idea.”

“It’s not a terrible idea, it really isn’t, it’s just tedious… we could both use those dark objects. We need them. Unless you know of another way to break the curse that keeps me from doing Traditional Magic…”

“I mean, I have a theory,” said Kai, looking her up and down. “But you’re not gonna like it.”

Vivianna frowned. “What’s the theory, Malachai?”

“The curse placed on the Travelers and later on, the curse placed on the Gemini, was due to discord between the communities. So, what if the way to break it requires unity?”

“We’ve already been tolerating each other for a month—”

“Not that kind of unity. Like the kind that comes from arranged marriages.”

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” said Vivianna, glaring at him. “Are you seriously suggesting we have a kid just for the sake of breaking my curse?”

“Not just yours. Mine, too. If I stop being a sociopath, Bonnie won’t have an issue with letting me out. We won’t need to go looking for dark objects. We’d just need to go to Portland and get what I’m looking for.”

Vivianna shoved the Ascendant into his hands, and went to pick up Bonnie herself. “No. Start planning a trip to San Diego. We’ll go North from there.”

Chapter Text

Vivianna was starting to hate road trips.

It was much less awful this time around, despite Kai’s disappointment at her rejecting yet another one of his advances. But that didn’t stop her from feeling irritated each time they had to drive for so long.

“We could have flown,” said Kai once they were already eleven hours into their first day of the trip, also known as ‘Day Thirty-Two’ of Vivianna being in the prison world. 

“I don’t want to fly,” she said. “It’s fine. Seven more hours and we’ll reach Dallas.”

“And where are we gonna stay? Didn’t exactly have that much time to plan a route.”

“I marked freeways and some places to spend the night. It’s fine. I lived in Dallas from 1999 to 2002. The house I lived in will exist in 1994, but it won’t have anything of mine. Still, that house means something to me.”

“What does it mean, Vivi?”

“It was where I discovered I was a Traveler. The signs appear when you’re twelve. It’s why we had to leave Dallas. We had to get a host for me to be passengered in.”

“And what was your favorite part of Dallas?”

“I don’t really remember a lot of individual things about those places. We moved so often… I’ve called twenty-four different cities ‘home.’ And we were constantly moving apartments and houses even when we could be in one city for a total of three years. My parents could never afford any place for two long. I never had consistent friends. We’d always lose touch after awhile.”

“Wow. You’re lucky you had friends at all.”

She frowned. “You must have had a friend at some point.”

Kai shrugged. “Nope. Jo and I went to the same elementary school. Just for Geminis. I was always in a desk away from everyone. While they learned magic, I was instructed to read. I picked up on things, obviously, but I could never practice. Didn’t have magic of my own. 

“Jo was the popular girl, everyone knew she was gonna do the Merge one day with me. But everyone also knew what the older folks said in low voices. Everyone had a feeling that I’d beat Jo. ‘Cause even without a constant stream of powers… I have an extra ability. If I sucked in enough magic to make me a witch like Jo… while retaining my siphoning… I’d be unstoppable. They knew she had no chance of winning, which is why my parents kept having kids. It made everyone more afraid of me.

“Middle school was a bit better. Not many people knew who I really was. Those who did made everyone else steer clear of me. I had one pal, I guess, who sat with me at lunch, but that was only ‘cause he paid me to do his homework. I was smart, but my dad managed to keep teachers from rewarding me for it. Guess he didn’t want anyone encouraging me.

“High school was the worst. By then, word had spread that I was just some ‘freak.’ I got into fights all the time in gym class. Had to let the steam off somehow. Then in college, I just went to lectures and didn’t talk to anyone. I wasn’t used to having people wanting to chat anyway. If I did talk to people, it was just those I wanted to sleep with. And I’d never see them again, so it was all very temporary.”

It was dawning on Vivianna that she was truly the first person that had been ‘friendly’ to him. The only one who had stuck by his side. Given him something to talk about, even if it wasn’t always pleasant. 

Kai figured this was why he couldn’t help but keep her alive, at his side. He needed someone to hear him. Someone who could talk back, whether it was with something positive or negative. He might go as far as to consider her a friend. But he figured she didn’t feel the same way about him.

“Screw those people who were assholes without knowing you,” said Vivianna. “My brother used to say that if they’re judging and believing rumors that other people spread, they’re not worth the calories it takes to even think about them. Like jeez, at least get to know someone before you decide they’re shitty.”

“Wow, thanks,” he said sarcastically.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“Never thought a little Traveler would be making me feel so worthy.”

She rolled her eyes, and he reached over, pulling her cheek. “Aw, is wittle Vivi upsetti spaghetti that Big-Bad-Malachai knows she likes him?”

“I do not like you,” she said, brushing his hand away. “Especially not when I know that you just wanna fuck me and leave forever.”

“Why does it matter if I stay or not? Genuinely curious. I thought you wanted nothing to do with me.”

“You can’t just fuck someone and never look back,” she said, turning red. “When I sleep with someone for the first time, I don’t want it to be a one-night-stand. When I find out what it’s all like for the first time, I want to learn everything that I enjoy for future nights. I want it to be with someone I trust, and someone I trust wouldn’t just walk away. I’d want to be able to talk to them about it later so I can find out what works for me, what doesn’t. I don’t need it to be special, I just want it to be informative, so that later on, I know what I want out of sex. It hurts, thinking that you’re just gonna leave while I’m asleep, and I’ll wake and just find a used condom in the trash.”

Kai was silent for a second. “I just assumed you didn’t want it to be more than that.”

“Do you just want it to be a one-time-thing?”

“I’ve never really had it be more.”

“It’s not that you’re bad looking or anything. But if it’s not gonna be more than once for me to learn and enjoy, then I don’t want my first time to be with you.”

“If I agreed to teach you… as many times as it takes… you would be more willing?”

“Maybe.”

“I can do that.”

“But you’d be forcing yourself out of your comfort zone. That’s not the point.”

“You have no idea how willing I am to do that if it means having sex.”

Vivianna shook her head, bringing her legs up to her chest and leaning against the door. “It’s probably better that we don’t.”

“I’m not good at this shit, Vivi, you have to tell me what the hell you want, explicitly.”

“I want it to be a more permanent arrangement, okay?” she said. “I’ve tried. I’ve tried so hard to just let go and do it with people when I’ve been in my real body. But when I don’t know them, I don’t feel anything. Doesn’t matter how hot they are, I don’t want them anywhere near me. I don’t have any desire to have them seeing me naked. With you I… you’ve been someone I’ve known for a longer period of time, while in my proper body. What we’ve had to do to survive… to try and get out… I think about it and suddenly you just seem like the right person. I didn’t used to think about anyone like that… until suddenly I just found myself thinking of you that way. I don’t know why, Malachai. That’s why I don’t feel comfortable with it being a one-time-thing. You’re the first person I’ve felt safe enough with… even though you almost murdered me.”

“I think you might just be demisexual,” he told her. “What, don’t give me that look, I’m aware of certain things, okay? I think it means you don’t feel sexual attraction until you’ve formed some sort of bond with someone. We formed a survival bond. We had to. May not exactly be the bond you’re looking for, but that's probably why you think I’m a good person for this. Newsflash, I’m not. I don’t feel shit like that, Vivi. I don’t really care if it hurts your feelings or not. I feel lust, and a whole lot of it, and I see you, and all I can think about is going at it until you can’t even move. But yeah, I don’t care about the aftermath. I don’t care about doing it again unless that lust spikes up another time with you. I won’t feel like being in a relationship because I can’t exactly form them. I’m a fucking sociopath. I can’t give you what you want, Vivi.”

She looked disappointed, but she understood. “I guess I just wish that you could. I don’t know how long it’ll take me to be able to feel like this with someone else. Will it take years of building trust? Or just weeks? Or am I gonna be stupid and feel it within a matter of days like I did with you?”

“Why does that make you stupid?”

“Look at us! I’ve killed you twice to save my own skin, once at your request. You stabbed me then performed surgery on me. We can’t even consistently get along. I’m an idiot for feeling this connection with someone who can’t feel it for me in return.”

He let go of the accelerator so the car could glide to a stop, and turned to grab her face, holding it firmly. “You’re right, Vivi, I can’t care for you in whatever way you care for me. I’ll never love you even if you start to love me so much, it hurts you. I’m a sociopath. A murderer. I enjoy hurting people. 

“I’ve thought about hurting you so many more times than what I’ve actually done. I want to do dirty and terrible things to you because you make me feel this confusing shit I don’t understand. You make it so fucking hard for me to understand what emotions I am and am not capable of. And it all circles back to me remembering that it’s because of your people that I’m like this. And it’s because of my people that you’re like this. 

“Doesn’t matter what we fucking feel when we’re togther, ‘cause we’re not supposed to be feeling it in the first place. So get over it, Vivi. Whatever you’re feeling for me, just stop. ‘Cause I don’t want to hurt you, but I will, unless you hurt me first. I feel sick just thinking that I might accidentally kill you. I’m not supposed to feel sick with that. 

“I’m supposed to like the idea of gutting you, but I don’t. I’m just gonna end up hurting you. And I really don’t want to do that. So I’m gonna stop insisting that you fuck me. ‘Cause now you’re getting all these crazy ideas about wanting us to be more, and I can’t stand that. I can’t be committed to you that way. You deserve someone way better.”

She gulped when he pulled away, and put the car in park. “Switch seats,” he said a bit more gruffly. “I don’t know where your house is. You gotta find it.”

“Right,” she said quietly. 

They arrived in Dallas after spending eighteen hours of that day just driving. They found the house, and Vivianna quickly took her things up to the room she’d had before slamming the door shut, and not emerging for the rest of the night. 

Kai felt like an idiot. Why did he even open his mouth? Was she just going to give him the cold shoulder now? He felt like he’d had to be honest. He knew that if he kept faking it, kept insisting, he was just going to break her heart. He could picture her, crying and looking miserable. And he hated that image. He didn’t want to be the one hurting her. He had to quit while he was ahead. 

The next day was somewhat the same. A total of seventeen hours driving, from Dallas to Odessa, then to Las Cruces, and finally to Yuma, where they spent the night. Again in separate rooms. Speaking only when they needed to ask if the other was hungry so that they could stop and grab a bite. 

Day Thirty-Four started with Vivianna and her usual calendar, making a note that it was June 3rd, 2012 in the real world. Over a month of being in the prison world. Today was the day they were really going to start gathering the dark objects.

She drove them from Yuma to San Diego, to the house her parents had lived in when she was just a baby. She found a box of old things labeled ‘ZIMA’ in the backyard, and found several old clothes and dark objects her parents had left behind.

“Most of the Travelers’ dark objects are really small and simple,” she explained, holding up a bag of marbles. “This is it for this house. These are meant to be thrown at a group of witches, and they’ll explode and put them all in a mass sleep, giving us time to run.” She bit her lip, and then shook her head.

“What?” asked Kai. “What’s that for?”

“Just wondering,” she said quietly. “If my parents might have been able to save their own lives if they’d had these with them.” She just shrugged it off, trying to act unbothered. “We’ll organize the dark objects in the real world so you can try to break the curse on me. We have to go to the next house.”

She’d driven for an hour to San Clemente, to yet another house her parents had settled into in 1990. This one had two dark objects. One was a fire lighter that spewed an incredibly hot blue flame used in Kemiya, for some elemental reconfigurations. The other was a seemingly simple mini mortar and pestle.

“This looks like a cute little Barbie toy,” she said, “but this thing has the dark energy required to hold crystals for spells. The kinds of crystals used in Kemiya. Once placed here, they literally won’t budge until they’ve been completely depleted of their power. If you were to put your finger into this, you’d only get it out when you died and it can’t sense a magical signature.”

“Poor Barbies,” he said, trying to lighten the mood.

They’d driven to Los Angeles after that, to the first home Vivianna had ever lived in. The apartment she’d been brought to after her mother had come from the hospital with her daughter in her arms. Funnily enough, she’d come back to live in this same apartment from 2003-2006. She and Julian had only left because their parents had been killed at the end of their third year there.

She ran her hand over the wood in the doorframe, and walked into the apartment. She found a singular dark object left behind as a decoration by whichever humans lived here in 1994. 

“This little vase,” she said, “kills anything placed inside of it. It captures the energy released in death. It’s used for Sacrificial Magic. Put a mouse in it, it’ll collapse and wither away until you’re left with nothing but a small light. I’m guessing the people here had a lot of issues with one another.”

Kai quite honestly found these objects rather interesting. He knew some witches made Dark Objects, too, but it seemed the Travelers had been more clever about theirs. He’d never say that aloud to Vivi, she’d likely faint.

Vivianna had driven them from Los Angeles to San Francisco after that. Kai had been tired, despite them not having driven as much that day compared to others. He’d fallen asleep in the passenger’s seat, and had ended up with his head on Vivianna’s shoulder as she drove.

It made her tear up, in all honesty. She felt confused, too. How was it that she could feel pity and affection for this man? How could she want to further their relationship? She knew they weren’t supposed to get along. They proved that often with their bickering. Still, she felt safe at his side. She felt he deserved so much more than being stuck here. She could have felt fear, but she didn’t. She knew he didn’t want to hurt her. It’s why he’d pushed her away. And she felt, even for a moment, like he cared about her. Because only someone who cared about her would have told her that she deserved better. If he didn’t care, even in the slightest, he would have faked it all just for the sake of getting her in bed. 

He looked so peaceful in his sleep. He wasn’t snoring today, which gave her a feeling he might even be awake. But when he started muttering incoherently, she figured he must actually be snoozing. He’d started to shiver after a short while, as if having a nightmare again. She’d carefully put her arm around him, starting to massage his back. He’d relaxed immediately, and nearly made her swerve off the road when he wrapped his arms around her and tried pulling her closer.

She’d had to carefully push him off, which resulted in him whining and turning the other way, which led him to start snoring against the window, his nose pressed up against it. She just sighed and held onto her necklace, flicking her hand to turn the radio on, allowing it to play a gentle melody to tune out the noise.

When they arrived in San Francisco, she’d parked in front of the small condo that her family had lived in during their stay there. Kai hadn’t woken up despite many cues, and she’d resorted to dragging him along in hopes it would rouse him. She expected he was awake, but he wanted to see her struggle. 

She’d let him fall onto the couch, and grabbed a nearby blanket before tucking him in. He’d grabbed the pillow beneath him, cuddling into it. A strand of his hair had moved onto his forehead, and she gently brushed it away, before hearing very clearly what he mumbled.

“Don’t leave me.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said gently.

“Don’t go.”

“I’m right here.”

“Stay with me.”

She tilted her head in confusion. “Who do you think I am?” she murmured, imagining he was seeing someone else in a dream.

“Stay here,” he said, and he lifted the blanket before opening his eyes.

“Dick,” she said quietly. “Making me practically carry you in.”

“You got to be a knight in shining armor, don’t complain."

"We don’t fit on the couch.”

“Then let’s go to a bed.”

“I don’t think you and I should be in a bed together.”

“No sex. Just warmth. You’re comfortable.”

She slowly sat down on the couch, and he managed to sit up, moving the back pillows out of the way, with allowed them to lay down on their sides, looking at each other, their faces mere centimeters apart.

“I’m not leaving you,” she told him. “You can push me away but I’m at least gonna get you out of here. It’s not my place to judge you and to inflict more of a punishment than what you’ve already had to deal with.”

“I couldn’t handle it,” he muttered. “If you and Bonnie left and I was still here. Knowing how close I was to escaping. Knowing I’d never see you again.”

“I don’t want to get over what I’m feeling,” she said. “I at least want us to be friends.”

“We shouldn’t be friends. I’m just gonna hurt you. I’ll betray you when it’s convenient for me.”

“Maybe you will. And maybe it’ll break me. But I don’t have any friends either, Malachai. If we’re gonna have anyone’s back, it should be each other’s. I’d rather live for a short while being bothered by you every day and eventually feel pain when you go, than spend the rest of my days in a repetitive loop surrounded by strangers who I’ll never feel anything for.”

“Fucking hell, Vivi. You hardly know me. I enjoyed killing my siblings. And here you are yapping about us being friends. I could kill you.”

“You could. I don’t know. But I think you’re capable of something you’ve never considered for yourself. Redemption. You’ve had so many opportunities to get rid of me. You may have abandonment issues, but those would have been overpowered by your need to kill if you’d really wanted them to be. If you wanted to hurt me as much as you claim to, I would already be buried in a shallow grave.”

“One rule,” he said, bringing his finger to her lips to silence her. “You can’t love me. Because I can’t love you. And I know how fucked up unrequited love can be. I spent my whole life just wanting people to care about me. ‘Cause I used to care… about my family. Slowly, those feelings went away the older I got. The worse they treated me. I was honest when I told Bonnie I’d do anything to have my family back. But the truth is, I don’t want them back if they’re just gonna screw me over again.”

“You were just a little boy,” she whispered, smoothing her hand over his face. “You didn’t mean to be born lacking magic and the emotions everyone else had. They should have helped you. It’s not fair, Kai, and it makes me so fucking angry. It doesn’t make it right, what you did in retaliation. But it also doesn’t make it right that they started the abusive cycle that hasn’t ended even now.”

“And it makes me mad that your parents had to die,” he said. “That your brother had to die. You don’t know how lucky you are, having people that actually gave a shit about you. It's not fair that you had to lose them. It’s not fair that you had to move so much. You never had a stable house. You never got to know what it was like to remodel your room every few years, able to look back on memories of yourself in one same spot, ‘cause you always had a different room.”

She sighed, and closed her eyes briefly. “It doesn’t matter anymore. If we get out… if you break this curse… I might actually have a chance to live somewhere for a long time and just grow old there.”

“And if it doesn’t work?”

“Then I’ll have to move around all over again. And hope the witches never find out I’m still alive. One Traveler against an entire community of witches… I won’t fare well. My magic will eventually sputter out."

“You’re not leaving my side,” he said firmly. “The witches already screwed up my life enough. I’m not letting them screw up yours, too.”

“I don’t know if I can follow your rule,” she admitted. “Even if we never become more, I’m eventually gonna love you as a friend. I want to. You deserve to know what it’s like to be loved by someone at least once in your life.”

“There’s nothing I would enjoy more than being loved by you,” said Kai, looking like he wanted to cry, but also as though it was causing him physical pain to even consider tearing up. “But I can’t love you back even if you’re just my friend. It’s not fair to you.”

“I don’t need you to love me, Malachai. I just need you to respect me.”

She moved closer, putting her head on his chest. He slowly draped the blanket over her, and awkwardly slung his arm around her waist, resting his chin over her head, and listening to her breathing growing slower.

Every cruel voice inside of him was yelling at him to asphyxiate her. To throw her on the ground and bash her head into it. To break her spine and leave her to die.

But for the first time in his life, he was able to tune those voices out. And instead of trying to hurt her, he tilted his head down, pressing a kiss to her forehead as she fell asleep.

A/N: A more fluffy Kai x Vivi chapter. Comment for more!

Chapter Text

Kai woke up to breakfast ready for him.

“You cooked for me,” he observed when Vivianna came up to him with a large tray of waffles, french toast, pork links, and eggs.

“For both of us,” she corrected. “We have a one-and-a-half hour trip to Sacramento today, then we have to go to Davis… which is where my family was actually living on May 10th, 1994.”

Kai just nodded, and started to eat, being extra dramatic with the moans of pleasure he let out. “Fuck, this Maria chick really taught you some good recipes. ‘Cause I can’t make eggs taste like that.”

Vivianna half-smiled. “Yeah, she did know some pretty good recipes.” She pursed her lips. “Why do you want to go to Portland?”

“When Bonnie put her magic away in that bear, it hit me that I missed something crucial, years ago. Jo tricked me, back in 1994. She said she’d Merge with me, but when we started the spell, I couldn’t feel her magic. It was a trap. My dad shoved me in here. I didn’t understand how her magic was just… not there. ‘Til I realized she put it away. Your dark objects will hurt me if I siphon directly. But if I find the object she put her magic inside of and absorb that, I can do the spell to get us back. All Bonnie would need to do is give her blood.”

“Maybe next time we see her, you shouldn’t be all rough with her and making death threats? Just a suggestion.”

He shrugged. “I can try. No guarantee it’ll work. She annoys me.”

“She’s the key to getting us all out so maybe value her a little bit more.”

“All we need is her blood. She’s literally nothing but a blood bag to me.”

Vivianna pursed her lips. “Malachai, there’s something I need to ask you about. Something I once heard… that I’m not sure is true. But I need to know if you’re aware of it or not.”

Kai looked surprised to hear this. “Alright. Shoot.”

“Do you know what would happen if you drank vampire blood and died?”

“Is this a trick question?” he asked. “Everyone knows what happens to witches when they turn. They lose their magic and basically go off the deep end ‘cause they feel miserable without it.”

“That’s the thing, Malachai,” she said quietly. “That wouldn’t happen, in your case. Did you ever hear the story about the 1903 prison world?”

“Not really. I don’t even know who the Gemini leader was at the time. My dad’s dad wasn’t in power. It was a whole other family until my dad and his twin were born, the first of their generation, and the only set of twins for like, two and a half decades. As soon as my dad won the position of leader, he married my mom, and popped Jo and I out within the year. I heard it was a whole group of siphoners, though. Must have been nice for them.”

“It wasn’t a group of siphoners. It was a group of heretics.”

“What, those people who stray from religion?”

“No. Heretics are hybrids. Witch-vampire hybrids.”

Kai’s jaw went slack. “What are you talking about? That’s impossible, Vivi.”

“Not when it comes to someone born a siphoner,” she said. “You have to siphon magic from other sources to obtain it. Normally, you wouldn’t have magic. But if given vampire blood… if killed and set to complete the transition… you’d be able to siphon from your own vampirism. You’d have constant magic. They’re not exactly the strongest hybrids, but they are hybrids. Still more powerful than regular witches, with heightened speed and agility and an insane bloodlust, from what I’ve heard. The Gemini Coven caught a group of them in 1903. There was one regular vampire among them, not even a Gemini, but they got locked up, too, for being an accomplice.”

“Why would you tell me this?”

“I wanted to see if you knew. But you clearly didn’t…” the look on his face was one of unbridled shock. He’d had no idea. “It’s just something you should know, when you go to the real world. So you’re never shocked if it ends up happening to you. I’m not encouraging you to turn. But it is… an option.”

“Vivi, why would you risk me knowing that?”

“It’s only fair,” she said. “Eighteen years of your life were taken from you. Twenty-two years, separately, consisted of abuse. You haven’t gotten to live, Kai. You may look twenty-two when you go back out there or you may look forty. No one is gonna know for sure. Compared to the years spent here, you’re not gonna have much time to explore and be free and potentially… be better… unless you have the power to do so. With vampirism comes compulsion. Which can be the key to letting you explore the world without limitations. It could help you get the chance to live. But… it could also lead to an even bigger problem. Heretics are said to be similar to Ripper vampires.”

“So you just thought to tell me something that might make me even more dangerous.”

“Well, you’re not exactly a threat to me anymore. I’d hope you would use the power to keep far away from the Gemini. Not to go after them. I know it’s what you want but I just don’t think it’ll change anything.”

“Look, Vivi. Chances are, my dad is still the leader, ‘cause if you’re right, and it’s June 5th of 2012, then the twins’ 22nd birthday is barely on its way. I highly doubt they’d Merge earlier. If I get out soon, I have a chance to find Jo, Merge with her, and become the leader I was always supposed to be. Then, if what you’re saying is true, I can just take vampire blood and kill myself. I’ll be reborn a heretic, and the rest of my Coven will die. It’s alway ‘coven before family’ with them. So I’m gonna make them suffer.”

“Did I tell you that I helped Damon and his pals kill all the Travelers?” she said softly, causing Kai to falter.

“Not really.”

Vivianna’s lip trembled. “I was so angry. So angry that that stupid leader, Markos, felt he had the authority to get us all to sacrifice ourselves. He was just gonna let my brother die. Maria died, then Julian was killed right in front of my eyes, and I snapped. I said, ‘fuck it,’ and I helped lure the Travelers into a building that later got blown up. I sliced my own neck to end up on the Other Side and perform a spell that would keep the Travelers from getting back out. And then, I performed a spell to ensure that a few choice people could make it back before the Other Side collapsed. But that stupid little blonde witch they recruited stopped the spell, and since Silas hadn’t stuck around to actually help, I couldn’t handle it, and neither could Bonnie, and we all ended up here.

“And I realize now that I don’t feel any better. Killing the Travelers didn’t bring my brother and my sister-in-law back. It didn’t lessen the pain I felt, seeing my brother fade away before my eyes. Now I’m alone. This is it. Every single Traveler came to Mystic Falls to help with that spell, and I was the only one who walked out. I’ll never know if that community might have been more accepting of me, because I offed them all before I could find out. 

“Killing the Gemini Coven might make you feel better. I’d definitely encourage you to kill your dad, as wrong as it is. But the entire Coven? What’ll you have, then? You’ll be the last one. You’ll be alone. And people will just be afraid of you, Kai. No one will respect what you did. They’ll add numbers to your body count and judge you for it. It won’t erase the time you spent in here. Their suffering won’t equate to yours. It's just a waste. Take it from someone who betrayed her own people and didn’t get what she wanted at the end of the day. It feels like shit, honestly.”

Kai nodded slowly. She had a point. He wanted to kill so that it would make him feel better. But what was the point of killing if it wouldn’t bring him that? He didn’t care about the Geminis. However, if their deaths wouldn’t bring him pleasure, what was the point?

“You mentioned a blonde witch,” he said. “How come she stopped?”

“The stupid bitch couldn’t handle it cause her idiot brother didn’t want to help. They told me that she’d been pretending to be a newbie witch but turned out to be pretty experienced. So when they told me she’d be doing the spell with me, I figured we’d be okay. Turns out she was weaker than anyone thought. They blackmailed her into doing it by killing her brother and it was a whole deal. She and I never got along, not that she really knew I was… well, me. I’d been going to Whitmore College and had her for a few classes, but she always had her resting bitch face, and her brother was just annoying, always trying to be a goody-two-shoes. He did help me once, though, when my roommate needed some medicinal herbs and I couldn’t get them without blowing my cover. I just mentioned it really loud nearby him and well, he offered his help.”

“I don’t get why siblings go to the same college, to be honest. Like, if you’re not gonna study the same thing, why even bother? Jo went somewhere on the East Coast while I stayed in Portland. It was nice, not having to be around her.”

“These ones were twins. Damon called them ‘Blond and Blonder.’ I have no clue what they were majoring in. Honestly, it didn't seem like they cared about school. They were in the same boat as me. Taking whatever fucking class I felt like just to pass the time. Not sure why they bothered to come to Whitmore, they said they were from…” her jaw went slack. “From Oregon.”

Kai tensed. “What were their names?”

“Liv and Luke,” she muttered. “Liv and Luke… Olivia and Lucas.”

“Holy fucking shit,” said Kai, putting his hands together and covering his mouth. “This is fucking perfect. The twins are right there. Right in McKinley, which is right by Mystic Falls.”

“Wait a minute,” she said. “You said Jo wanted to be a doctor?”

“Yes.”

“And she went to college on the East Coast?”

“Yes.”

“Was it Whitmore?”

“I don’t know. My dad just said she was studying where Sheila Bennett taught and didn’t tell me anything more.”

“Sheila Bennett taught Occult Studies at Whitmore College, Malachai. Your sister… if you’re forty… she would have already finished her studies by now. I remember the picture I saw of her. She didn’t look familiar, but… well, one time, I had to take someone to Whitmore Hospital, and there was this lady working in the E.R., named Dr. Laughlin. When we saw her, she said we could call her ‘Jo.’ And she looks… kind of like the girl in that picture with you. The one that was in your room in Portland.”

“My remaining siblings all went to Whitmore,” said Kai in disbelief. “It has to be it. Do they even know—?”

“I’m not sure, but I think if Liv and Luke had a sister who was a doctor at the nearby hospital, they wouldn’t be telling people. Just remember what I said, Kai. Killing them might not end up making you feel better. Wouldn’t it be nice if… instead of killing your siblings… you could repair your relationship with them?”

“Might be nice, sure. But it’s unrealistic, Vivi. I’m a sociopath. It’s confusing enough that I’m somewhat caring about you. I can’t care for them. They never did anything good for me.”

“Maybe Jo’s too far gone for that. She helped in the abuse, even if she was just a bystander. But the twins, Malachai? They’re my age. We were all four years old in 1994. Do you think they did anything with malice? They were children, the youngest of the bunch, they understood nothing. It isn’t their fault that they were born. Your parents were the ones that kept conceiving. It might be difficult for them to forgive and forget since you were, despite being eighteen years older than them, chasing them with a knife. But whatever they’ve learned from your dad… it was without you actually being there. You have a chance to prove your dad wrong. To rub in his face that you came out of here better, not worse. Imagine how much more infuriating it will be for him to see that you’re trying to be kinder. He’ll lose his mind.”

“And what if he kills me, Vivi. What then?”

“I’m not letting him hurt you. I won’t let him get near you. We just— we need to figure this all out, and then, we can see. If we manage to break the Traveler Curse and the Gemini Merge Curse… your dad will lose power either way. The Geminis will tear each other apart. You’ll be free to do literally anything else.”

Kai sighed. “I don’t know, Vivi. Maybe. Maybe not. Just… can we stop talking about this for awhile? Thinking about being nice to my remaining siblings is kind of putting an icky taste in my mouth.”

They ended up leaving right after breakfast. For two hours, Vivianna drove them to Sacramento, where they were able to gather a few more dark objects (some very strange pencils for writing dark magic spells) before they turned back West briefly and made their way to Davis.

Kai had noticed a change in her immediately.

They’d pulled up to a small house, with a red car parked in the front. A kiddie pool was laid out, filled with water and bubbles. As they walked up to the door, Kai could see two hula hoops and four soccer balls lined up on the porch beside the swing, which had clothes laid out, as if to dry. 

She’d slowly opened the door and stepped inside, finding her home exactly as it had been on May 10th, 1994.

“Vanna,” her mother had said that afternoon. “You won’t be allowed into the pool if you don’t eat first.”

“But I don’t wanna eat,” she whined as she came down in her bathing suit. “Julian said I’ll explode if I go into the water after eating.”

“Julian is being silly,” said her mother plainly. “Eat, or no pool. Just wait an hour after the food and nothing will happen.” The woman looked up as her son walked in. “Julian, don’t be lying to her, you know she believes it.”

“That’s her fault, not mine,” an eight-year-old Julian said. “Papa said that if she believes it, it’s on her.”

“She’s four, Julian. You were four, too, and you believed that you could touch the clouds if you jumped off a tree. Your father and I had to risk using our magic to heal you.” She shook her head. At the time, they just couldn’t afford to have any medical procedures done. It would have drained their bank accounts.

Vivianna, who’d been sitting at the table, starting to eat the soup her mother made her, stuck her tongue out at Julian. “Bitch,” she mouthed.

“Mama!” snapped Julian. “She said it again!”

“That’ll teach you to listen when I tell you not to use those words with other people. They start to believe it’s okay to say it back.”

“Like you said, Mama, she’s four, she shouldn’t be saying the B-word.”

“Well, I’d very much like for her not to say it, but you taught her the word. You have to deal with the consequences of what your lessons might bring. Don’t teach someone something if it can be used against you.”

Julian stuck his tongue out at Vivianna, who was still mouthing ‘Bitch’ over and over.

“Vanna,” said Valeria sharply. “Did you like it when Julian said that word to you?”

“No,” she said honestly. “It was annoying.”

“Do you want to be annoying, too?”

“No.”

“Then don’t say the word.”

“Yes, Mama.” She then got up and squealed. “Papa’s home! I heard his red ladybug!”

“It’s called a car,” said Julian as Vivianna abandoned her soup to run to the door. “Idiot.”

“Julian,” said Valeria in a warning tone.

“Sorry, Mama.”

Vivianna wasn’t paying attention. She’d giggled as her father walked in, scooping her up and kissing her cheek. “Look at you in your bathing suit, you look like a little clown!”

“Mama said the stripes make me look pretty,” said Vivianna, patting his chest so he could put her down.

“An ugly little clown,” whispered the younger Julian under his breath.

“Julian,” said their father as he set his daughter down. “What did we say about making comments on people’s appearances?”

“It can hurt their feelings.”

“And?”

“Cause inse… inse… what’s the word?”

“Insecurities.”

“Insecurities. And make them do bad things to themselves.”

“That’s right. Vanna’s at that age where she’s going to take what you say very seriously. It may not seem like it, but she looks up to you. You have to teach her good things. One day… your mother and I won’t be here. And it’ll be up to you to have each other’s backs.” He clapped his hands together. “Now, who wants to go to the store to get the special glasses so we can watch the eclipse?”

Vivianna traced her hands over the countertop, where she’d sat that morning, eating her soup, and feeling excited at the prospect of sitting in her little pool with her funny glasses and clown bathing suit to watch the eclipse overhead. 

She stopped in the doorway of her old room, kneeling down to pick up a small doll she’d left on the floor. She stepped inside, finding the mess her four-year-old self had left. 

Behind her, Kai followed silently, seeing the way she looked at every single object that reminded her of her time there. He stopped a bit behind her, picking up a photograph of their family. Her mother and father, holding the two children while about to board a ferris wheel.

He heard a sniffle, and slowly approached the room, seeing that she’d sat on her old bed and started crying. He found her holding a tiny stuffed rabbit. When she squeezed it, he heard a familiar melody, and the voice of a man and a woman saying, “Happy birthday dear Vanna, happy birthday to you.”

“Your birthday,” he commented. “You turned four almost exactly a month before this day.”

She nodded, quickly wiping her eyes. “I lost this rabbit somewhere in Arkansas, when we were living around there. I just… it didn’t even work anymore, the voice box broke because Julian stepped on it one day when he was trying to catch me after I fell off of a jungle gym in Arizona.”

She then stifled a sob. “My parents would be so disappointed in me. If they knew Julian and I chose to become mercenaries after they died. They always tried to teach us better than that. They worked odd jobs everywhere. Anything but that. But when they were gone, we didn’t see anything more consistent than the kills. So we went for it, and it became… our life after that.”

He didn’t know how to comfort her. He went to sit beside her on the little bed, and just sat with her, which seemed to be enough. She rested her head on his shoulder, continuing to cry while she hugged the small rabbit.

“I don’t think they’d be disappointed,” he muttered. “Other Travelers were doing it. You did what you had to do to survive. You killed to save your life. I killed to take lives and just… cause problems. That already makes you better than me. I think they’d just be proud that you didn’t enjoy the kill. They’d be… happy, I guess, that you and your brother stayed together as long as you did.”

“They would have loved to meet Maria,” said Vivianna. “She and my mother both loved to cook. It’s why I love to cook. It makes me feel like they’re still here. It’s funny, though… I never really got to cook for anyone else until I got here.”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I eat a lot when the food is good. And you should notice that I always eat every single thing you put on my plate when you cook.”

“Aw, Malachai, are you complimenting me?”

“Shut up, Vivi, I’m just saying your food is tolerable.”

“Why do you like cooking?”

“It’s the one thing my dad ever taught me. Measuring by eye, seasoning by taste. He knew I loved to eat, so I guess he didn’t think I’d be stupid and burn the house down. We never really went out to eat dinner, so cooking at home was the next best thing. I watched cooking shows like a madman, learning recipes. I liked impressing people that way. If I wanted someone to ah… well, you know… get them in my house by promising a good meal.”

She blushed. “It’s a good strategy. You’re pretty good at cooking. That’s how you give a compliment.”

“Oh, I’m sorry your highness. How about I say… your food is greatly up to par with the selectiveness of my taste buds.”

“I feel like I like that better than ‘I eat everything you put on my plate.’”

Kai could see the longing look in her eyes when she turned away from him, looking back around at her room. She didn’t want to leave. She hadn’t had enough time to feel relaxed anywhere. Constantly moving, afraid they’d be caught. This home meant something to her, he could see it.

“I feel like I’m way too tired to start heading to Portland,” he said casually. “It should be my turn driving but I’m exhausted, and you probably are too, ‘cause you’ve been driving for days already. What do you say we stay here? Explore Davis. This time you can be the tour guide, and I can be the complainer.”

Her eyes were shining. “We don’t have to stay here because of me, Malachai.”

“We’re not staying because of you,” he lied. “I want to rest at least for the rest of the day. Let’s just spend the night here. It’s afternoon, we have a few hours. We can start going to Portland tomorrow morning. It's just nine hours of driving, I’ll manage it easily with a proper good night’s sleep.”

“Thank you,” Vivianna said gently as he got to his feet, holding out his hand to help her up. “Really… thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Kai said awkwardly before walking out of the room.

Chapter Text

She was a terrible tour guide.

“You don’t actually know anything about this city,” Kai observed when they’d started to walk around, and she was looking quite confused. “Do you, Vivi?”

“I was four when I last lived here,” Vivianna reminded him. “My memory of this place from eighteen years ago isn’t as intact in my head as I’d like it to be.”

“Then why did you agree to give me a tour?”

“You’re the one who wanted this.”

“Oh, this is giving me flashbacks to Portland,” said Kai, rubbing his eyes. “Let’s go to that supermarket there. Find something. Literally anything.”

He ended up finding an entire aisle of pork rinds.

“This is gross,” said Vivianna, looking at all the bags and wincing. “Easily my least favorite aisle in this entire store.”

“Why do you hate pork rinds so much?” asked Kai, plucking up several bags. “They’re awesome.”

“I don’t like pork too much in general. This is… bleh.”

“I’m sure there’s another aisle with different kinds of chips. Go get them and we’ll walk to the nearest park, if we can find it.”

She ended up settling for a box of Fruit by the Foot, which Kai ended up eating half of. 

“Don’t blame me,” he said. “These are all the rage back in 1994. You should’ve gotten another box.”

“I didn’t think you were going to manage to eat that many at once.”

“It’s better I eat some. I can die and be healed of everything. You, Vivi, can get cavities.”

“I can just use magic to heal myself. You act like Travelers don’t have healing spells or something.”

“Well, maybe you do, but you guys sure as hell aren’t dentists, so how do you know it would even work?”

“I don’t, but I could easily find out. Go to a dentist first, get diagnosed with cavities. Try the spell, go back the next day, see what they tell me.”

“Lame.” He tossed a pork rind at her, but this time, she was quick to grab her necklace, creating an invisible barrier that it collided with, instead of her body. “Ooh, you’re getting better. Good practice for when you have spirit magic. Except you won’t need to rely on a necklace full of ashes. How did you get that by the way?”

“My parents gave it to me on my fifteenth birthday. They got just a regular locket with no markings so I could eventually engrave something on it. I’ve never known what to put on it.”

“Put a dick on it.”

“Classic. My parents are basically in there.”

“So? They should know anatomy if they have two kids.”

“I’m not engraving a dick on my pendant.”

“Fine. Put like a little ‘T’ for Traveler. Can also double as a ‘T’ for Troll.” 

“Didn’t peg you as a Harry Potter fan.”

“What are you talking about?”

Vivianna sighed. “Aw, shit. You missed the release of Harry Potter. It was this really famous book series turned into movies.”

“We had some good movies in my time. One of my favorites was D2: The Mighty Ducks with Emilio Estevez. It was released two days before my birthday in 1994, just before I turned twenty-two, so obviously I treated myself to watching it in theaters.”

“They made a D3: The Mighty Ducks in ‘96. Julian got so mad that my parents let me watch it even though I hadn’t seen D1 and D2 before that.”

“Uh, duh, I’d be mad too. Uncultured swine.”

“Uncultured? You’ve missed eighteen years’ worth of iconic movies. It’s not like you, with your twenty-two years of life, had seen every movie ever made in every country on Earth, you know.”

“If we’re talking about Disney movies only, I saw Iron Will in fucking theaters. The Nightmare Before Christmas. Cool Runnings— this one was fucking amazing. The whole theater just singing ‘Jamaica, we have a bobsled team.’”

“You were clearly one of those kids who just had to get into the first screening of every movie ever offered in your city, huh?”

“Fuck, yeah. As soon as I turned twenty-one and wouldn’t get in trouble for drinking, I’d show up first in fucking line with some Zima and I’d get a seat all the way in the back, alone, ‘cause everyone wanted to be in the front even though everyone knows that it’s so much better from the back. In so many situations, honestly.”

“Don’t tell me that’s a sexual innuendo.”

“Well, I didn’t plan for it to be, I mean for like, any type of movie situation. Horror. Action. Comedy. I never watched sappy romances, bleh. You seem like the type to enjoy that.”

“Excuse you, are you implying that just ‘cause I’m a woman—”

“No, it’s because you’re just so… emotional. Trying to see good in me as if this thing we have is gonna become some relationship worthy of being called a cosmic miracle.”

“Maybe I just see something in yourself that you don’t.” She could tell he’d become uncomfortable, so she changed the subject. “What was the first Disney movie you watched in theaters?”

“The Rescuers when I was five. Fucking infuriated me that my dad took me to watch that. The kid in the movie is literally being used and he didn’t see any correlation with the way he’d started treating me.”

She frowned, and he quickly said, “But I used to like the music in that. Back when my mom was still kinda tolerable, before she died, she would sing those songs to me. It got annoying, honestly, each time Jo and I were getting shots at the doctor’s office, she’d sing that song that’s like, ‘Be brave, little one’ and I’d just grit my teeth and deal with it, ‘cause it honestly didn’t hurt as much for me as it did for Jo. I’m surprised she became a doctor. She used to be so scared of needles. Probably had to toughen up after I removed her spleen.”

“I imagine so,” said Vivianna quietly. “Did you uh… watch the sequel to The Rescuers? The one where they’re trying to save the kid who for some reason was being harassed by this dude with a Komodo dragon as a pet?”

“Uh, yeah, it came out in 1990. And Joanna wasn’t a Komodo dragon, Vivi. She was called a ‘goanna’ ‘cause they were in Australia, and I think that almost equates to an Argus monitor lizard.”

“Let me guess, you had a phase where you were obsessed with reptiles.”

“I wanted, more than anything, a pet snake. My dad said no. Said only people who did Sacrificial Magic kept any sort of pet.”

“You weren’t allowed pets for a reason as stupid as that?”

“Yeah. I always wanted a pet. I don’t think I ever would have hurt it. I’m not that type of sociopath. All my anger was kinda directed to my human family. They were the ones with an actual fucking conscience and they were using it to be assholes. I wanted a dog. A Black Labrador Retriever that I was gonna name ‘Demon.’”

“Demon?” she asked, trying not to laugh. 

“That, or ‘Shadow.’”

“Maybe ‘Onyx’ would have been a good name. Like the Pokémon.”

He stared at her blankly, and she whined. “Oh my god, you missed Pokémon? You have a lot to learn.”

“I’ll be fine with learning. But only if you’re teaching. ‘Cause your teaching skills need improvement.”

“I’ll only teach you if you don’t eat pork rinds throughout your lessons.”

“But I can eat them as a reward if I do well, right?”

“Right.” She pursed her lips. “What are you actually planning on doing when we get out, Malachai? Are you gonna… go after your siblings right away?”

“Probably best if I do, don’t you think? As soon as we get out, the Geminis are gonna be on the lookout. Knowing Bonnie, she’ll rat me out immediately. They’ll find us easily, and they’ll kill us both. The sooner I get it done, the better. Olivia and Lukas won’t want to Merge til they absolutely have to. Their birthday isn’t til after Christmas. Jo can’t really deny me if I approach her. She’ll want to save the twinsies.”

“She gave up her magic, though. What if she hasn’t taken it back yet? What if it was moved? She won’t tell you where it is.”

“She’ll have to tell me. We can fly to Portland as soon as we get out, see if the knife is there.”

“I’m sorry— you want us, the Geminis Coven’s ‘Most Wanted’ to waltz up to their home base looking for a knife?”

“Well, you can passenger yourself into someone. Pretend to be a saleswoman. You’d be safe. We could kidnap a Gemini and go in through them. Use magic to summon the knife, if it’s there.”

“I don’t think I can be a passenger in a witch. A human, yes, but a witch… it’s way too risky. It won’t work.”

“Well, what’s your plan, then?”

“Lay low. Hide. I can try to see if I can transfer your spirit into someone else. We could hide our bodies in another country, cloaked by all the dark objects. Their magic won’t run out unless I take it in. If we use it, it’ll be like a dark pit of energy that the Gemini wouldn’t be able to tackle. In the meantime, you’d have to learn everything you could about the world. Maybe find something that makes you happy.”

He wagged a finger at her, before placing a circular pork rind on it and spinning it around. “Sneaky Vivi, that involves me not enacting my revenge on the Geminis.”

She turned red. “I already told you it doesn’t feel good to enact your revenge. I don’t want you to go through with it, Kai. Ultimately, it’s your choice, but I don’t think it makes you better than them if you prove that they were right about you being a danger. I think it’s more empowering to succeed despite them and prove that you’re not a problem, but a blessing. The Travelers worshipped siphoners in the past.”

“You speak, and it makes sense, but I just don’t care about proving them wrong. I don’t care about what they’ll feel. Other than the pain. I want them to feel pain. They won’t feel pain if I’m just a good boy and go and live somewhere that I never bother them, ever again.”

Vivianna sighed. “Well, I tried. I just… I don’t know.”

“Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Tell me.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I don’t want to leave you. I want to be there. But the sooner you go through with revenge, the sooner you’ll want to turn into a heretic. And then, I’ll eventually age and die unless I turn. But me, I’ll lose my magic. And my ability to have kids.”

“You want kids?”

“I haven’t pictured myself as a mother very often, but I think it might be nice to have a family once I’m not having to move around all the time. It got me thinking of what you said about Gemini-Traveler unification. You’d lose your ability to have a family, too. If you ever wanted to… you couldn’t, not biologically. Adoption is great and all, but…”

“Vivi, I’m gonna ask you a question and I need you to answer me honestly.”

“Okay…”

“What did you really think? When I suggested that? Us having a kid. You got mad.”

“I got mad because it’s a ridiculous reason to have a kid. Just for the sake of breaking a curse? Just so we can resent that kid if its birth does nothing for us? If you can’t love me even as a friend, how could you hope to love a kid? No child deserves that. That sort of instability. You don’t want anything more with me, Kai. A kid is at least eighteen years of commitment. You’ve already suffered for eighteen years in here. That length of time. Can you manage it? To give it a good life? A life that was better than what we both had?”

He frowned. “I didn’t really think about it that way.”

“Just like I don’t want to have sex with just anyone, I don’t want to have a kid with just anyone. It’s another reason why I’ve waited. No unplanned pregnancies. It’s better that way. If I’m gonna have a baby, I want it to be with someone I love and trust and someone who will have my back and won’t leave. I want… I want what my parents had. They were tired all the time, and they hated that they couldn’t provide as much for us. But damn, did they work well together. They talked every night about how they could be better. They didn’t yell at us, they didn’t hit us. They treated us like adults and made us learn from our mistakes in the best possible way.”

“I don’t want to be a bad dad,” Kai muttered. “I hated my dad. And my mom. I don’t want that for other people.” 

“Exactly. So it doesn’t matter if it would work or not. I would never consent to you knocking me up just to break our curses. Because I know…” her voice cracked, “I know you won’t stick around. And I can’t do it alone. I can’t be a single mom. I don’t know how to be a parent, even if I had an amazing example. I don’t have anyone left to give me advice. I’d rather lose my magic forever and have to move all the time than have a kid that will be miserable because its mother can’t give it what it needs to be happy and healthy. I was so, so blessed to have both my parents in my life. I would want that for any kid of mine, too.”

“I don’t know what to say, Vivi,” he said quietly, noticing how distraught this made her. “I didn’t mean to make you sad. I just thought… it could work. That it might be funny. I didn’t take it seriously. I don’t know how to be a parent, either. I know less than you, clearly, ‘cause I didn’t consider any of this.”

He asked her, later in the evening, when they were laying on her parents’ bed, trying to sleep, what she thought it took to be a good parent.

“You have to be patient,” she whispered, tucking her hand under her head. “You have to be attentive. Understanding. You have to know how to approach each situation. Be able to consider what your child is or isn’t capable of at certain ages. You have to be able to trust yourself to do the best you can. You have to be protective, but not too protective.”

“I don’t know how I’d do with most of those,” he admitted. 

She shrugged. “Most people start out not knowing. I think one of the most important things goes along with the saying… ‘The axe forgets, but the tree remembers.’ A parent might say a few cruel words after losing their temper, and they’ll forget soon afterward. But a kid will never forget that. It could lead to them having problems with their self image. I think parents should try to make good memories as much as they can. Have their kids associate certain things with happiness. This bed, for example.”

She smoothed her hand over it. “My parents never made fun of me for being afraid of storms  and the dark when I was younger. Everytime I felt even slightly scared, I was always allowed to come and crawl between them to fall asleep. It made me feel safe with them. Safe when I was sleeping. Safe in storms. Eventually, those fears mostly went away. I still get startled, but I remember how they’d both give me a kiss on the cheek and just tell me to try and relax.”

Kai frowned a bit. “My parents hated when any of us did that. Not even just me. They’d complain that they were trying to sleep and that we needed to grow up and not be fraidy cats.”

She winced. “That’s fucked up.”

“Tell me about it. But whatever. It’s in the past. Now, we have a whole box full of dark objects to add to what we already had. It’ll be fine.”

“But you should have been able to feel like you could come into your parents bed and just get a hug when you were afraid.”

“Well, I didn’t get that, Vivi, so it doesn’t matter.”

She lifted the blankets, bringing it over both their heads as a sort of tent. “Close your eyes.”

He did, despite his hesitation. She scooted forward, and wrapped her arms around him, her hand running over his head, fingers tangling in his hair, her mouth right next to his ear.

“This is exactly what my parents used to tell me,” she whispered. “‘Go to sleep, little one. The storm will pass. The darkness will turn to light. Everything you’re afraid of will go away, because nothing can touch you when you’re in our arms. You’re safe and so, so loved, and one day, when you grow up, you’re going to conquer these fears. And then, you’ll be the protector of those who will be in your shoes one day.”

Kai had drifted off, his head falling so that it rested on her chest. She continued to stroke his hair, humming quietly until he started to snore. She then relaxed her arm, and allowed herself to rest.

_

Kai woke up with her still pressed up beside him. 

She’d somehow ended up moving him right to the edge of the bed, and he nearly fell off when he tried to sit up. She looked so peaceful, he didn’t want to wake her up.  

He’d laid beside her for a bit longer, her back pressed to his chest. He could hear her gentle breathing, and he could see her neck pulsating as blood pumped through her body.

He suddenly felt a bit of fear. She was right, about him being more dangerous as a Heretic. What if he turned and did become a Ripper? What if he couldn’t stop himself, and he ripped her throat out?

Right now, he felt an urge to kiss her. Over the faded bruise that lingered from when he’d choked her the other day, to prove she enjoyed it. It was surprising, to find himself wanting to do that, instead of stabbing her. 

But what if in the future, all he felt was the need to bite? The need to feed? Surely, he’d kill her. He wouldn’t be able to stop himself, even if he’d now conquered the urge to murder her.

She stirred a bit, and he remained still as she turned to face him, grabbing onto his shirt and moving so that her head was on his shoulder. He put his hand carefully on her back, pulling her close enough that he could feel every part of her body against his.

It had a very specific reaction. One he expected.

And so he’d started to get up. Except, he’d faltered a bit, when he looked down at her chest. She’d fallen asleep wearing a V-neck, and it had moved so parts of her breasts were exposed, including a very painful looking mark directly in the center.

“I’m efficient enough that I don’t usually get more than small scratches,” she’d told him before, when he asked if she had any scars from being a mercenary. “But there’s one on my chest from getting burned with a hot poker by a victim I was trying to get rid of.”

He frowned, and couldn’t help but pull down her shirt to see the rest of it. Her bra concealed an even worse mark— a part sunken in. 

She hadn’t just gotten burned. She’d been impaled with it.

He couldn’t help but turn her on her side, so that he could lift her shirt and look on her back. Again, her bra covered it, but there was a clear exit wound. 

“Vivi,” he said sharply. “Wake up.”

“Mm…” she didn’t stir immediately. “Sleepy.”

“Get up right now and tell me where you really got this scar.”

She opened her eyes, and he turned her onto her back, leaning over her, and pointing at the mark between her breasts. “You said you got burned. I assumed they whacked you with it. But this? This looks like you got stabbed with it.”

She turned red. “I don’t think you want to know the truth.”

“Tell me right now. How did you get that?”

“Why does it matter?”

“Because I want to know how you got every single mark on your body. I already feel like killing whoever mugged you. But this? Whoever did this to you nearly took your life. And they’re gonna pay for it.”

“They’re already dead, Kai, I survived and I killed them.”

“Tell me, Vivi,” he said more harshly.

“It was a Gemini witch,” she said sharply. “I was sent to kill her. She got me good before I managed to slit her throat. Guess someone told her I was coming after her.”

“And you really don’t want me to enact my revenge? What the hell? The Gemini Coven has made both of our lives a living hell. I’m not letting a single one of those bastards live. Look at this fucking scar, Vivi!”

“I constantly have to see it,” she said, shaking her head. “Makes it awful to wear bikinis, but I’m used to it. Why do you care? You left scars on me, too. They’re only gone because Damon gave me his blood. These have been healed for years. They won’t go away, even if I want them gone.”

“You know why I care?” he snapped. “I don’t like when people touch something that belongs to me. I’ll kill anyone who ever leaves a mark on you. If anyone ever, and I mean ever does something like that to you again, I will rip them apart.”

As flattering as that was meant to sound in his mind, he could tell the delivery had not had the intended effect.

“First of all,” said Vivianna, “I don’t belong to anyone. Especially not to you. I appreciate you wanting to protect me, but don’t take it that far. I don’t want you to hurt people Kai.”

“I’ll hurt anyone I want to hurt,” said Kai. “Especially if they have the audacity to lay a hand on you.” 

“That’s touching. Really it is. But it’s wrong, Kai.”

“Holy fuck, I don’t care about right or wrong, Vivi. The only thing I care about is you. I don’t know why or how but I care about you and just knowing that a Gemini left that scar on you, it makes me want to give them a slow death. They deserve it.”

Chapter Text

Things were tense as they drove to Portland. 

Vivianna was trying her hardest not to be angry. She wanted to understand that this was all he knew. How to react with anger. How to grasp at what he felt might slip out of his arms. The possessiveness made sense. She’d expected that. Still, she didn’t like it. 

Kai was fuming on the inside. Why couldn’t Vivianna just understand that he wanted to avenge her? To make the Gemini suffer for what they’d done to the both of them? She wanted more, and she was getting more. This was pretty much the full extent of emotions he could muster. 

He didn’t want to fake affection for her. So why not focus on something he could feel with no problem? Fury that someone had hurt a person that mattered to him. Rage that it was the same people who’d ruined his life. He knew he didn’t own her. But he wanted to have her forever. He wanted to be hers, too. He just didn’t know how to say it. 

“We’re in Portland,” he said, as if she hadn’t known that four street signs ago. 

“Awesome,” she said simply. “Are we staying at your house or at the hotel?”

“So you can slip and fall again? No. That hotel has bad luck. We’ll find a motel or something.”

They pulled up to his house at long last. Immediately, he got out, and stood in the front yard, trying to think. Where could Jo have put her magic away?

“Is there any object that meant a lot to her?” asked Vivianna, trying to be helpful. 

“They were all too far from her. I remember feeling her magic the day before the Merge. When I was killing my other siblings. I siphoned from her after I cut out her spleen. I’m not sure when exactly I stopped feeling the magic. All the adrenaline… it was hard to tell. But it has to have happened before that morning. So she could have put it away somewhere between when I stabbed her and when I woke up.”

“Just think back to that day,” said Vivianna, tucking her hands in her pockets. “When’s the last time you remember having her magic?”

Kai pursed his lips. “The twins. She hid them with magic. It flickered, a bit, because I hurt her. And they ran out of the room. I could have caught up to him if I could fucking see them. But they were invisible again. I figured they’d run into the basement. They’d gone for the staircase. I went down and I heard movement upstairs. I went back to check if Jo was still hiding them somewhere. Found her outside holding onto the tree stump. Figured they had run outside instead. Then she just blurted out that she’d Merge with me. Moments later, I saw the twins appear behind her, near a tree. My dad’s car pulled up and it was all over.”

“Did she stop the spell willingly, or—?”

“I don’t think so.” Kai frowned, and went over to a nearby tree stump, sweeping away the leaves that were on top of it before extracting a knife. “Would you look at that?”

“That’s it?” she asked. “The knife?”

“Mhm,” he said. “I stabbed her with this. Left it in her abdomen. The stupid bitch pulled it out. I mean, can you imagine, she’d literally just graduated with her Bachelor’s in Biology and she pulled out the object she’d been stabbed with? Terrible decision.”

She saw his hand start to glow, and knew he was siphoning. Moments later, his hand moved down, but the knife remained floating in the air.

“That’s it, then,” said Vivianna. “We got magic you can use. We have a box full of dark objects. We should start driving home. No need to stay the night. I can drive, since you brought us from Davis.”

“Yeah, I don’t know how I feel about driving anymore. The last time we drove from Portland to Mystic Falls, our car broke down. Besides, you have it all mapped out, Vivi. If we start heading there now… driving… we’ll make it to Mystic Falls the morning of Day Forty. June 10th, 2012. Feels too biblical. Maybe we should cut to the chase. A plane.”

Vivianna’s eyes widened. “No. No, no, no. I don’t like planes.”

Kai gave her a significant look. “Have you even been on one?”

“No! I don’t trust them, I told you that!”

“You do realize I know how to fly a plane, right? And I know how to make sure the tank is full. How to fill the tank if it isn’t. I know how to land. And I know the path to the Charleston airport because I’ve taken it before.”

“Malachai, I’m not gonna feel safe on a plane. If something malfunctions, we could die, we could…”

He’d come up to her, holding her face. “Do you really think I’d let you die before you can appreciate the full extent of my flying skills?”

“I don’t know,” she muttered. “You’re pretty unhappy with my insistence that you shouldn’t kill anyone.”

“And you think that just because of that, I’d crash on purpose? Vivi, my siphoning is at its strongest because I’m connected to you. I wouldn’t jeopardize that. And I already established I want you to come with me. Whatever ends up happening.”

“Because I’m an object you decided to take ownership of?”

“For fuck’s sake, I didn’t mean that you were an object. I thought people said shit like that all the time. That sappy crap of ‘I’m all yours’ and ‘you’re all mine.’”

“They don’t say it in such a possessive manner,” said Vivianna. “I don’t want you feeling like you can command me.”

“Let’s face it, Vivi, you’re way bossier. If anyone’s commanding anyone, it’s you to me.”

“I don’t want you to kill the Gemini Coven, Malachai.”

“That’s not gonna make me leave you behind.”

“You don’t own me.”

“Okay, I don’t own you. But no one else does either and I’m linked to you, so I want to avenge you. Happy?”

“Far from it.”

He gave an exasperated sigh. “If you’re searching for an apology, you’re not getting one, Vivi, I don’t feel bad that I said any of it. It’s not like I want to have you the way a pet owner has their animal. I just don’t want anyone else putting their hands on you. I want a connection with you. I don’t want anyone else having a connection. Friends, I guess, is whatever, ‘cause neither of us have friends. But I don’t want anyone liking you or crushing on you like that. I don’t want them even thinking dirty thoughts about you. I especially don’t want them hurting you and leaving marks on your body. It pisses me off that people have done it even in the past. You’re not my property but…” he was searching desperately for good words to say but there was no way of rewording it. He wanted her to be his. Completely. “I just want you to be at my side forever. And if this is about you not wanting to fly, then we can take a train, but I’m not driving across the country anymore.”

Vivianna crossed her arms, and he groaned. “Vivi, goddamnit, don’t give me that look! I’m not promising to not kill the Geminis! There’s nothing I’d rather do.”

“What if I let you fuck me? Would that discourage you from going after the Geminis?”

He stared at her. “Are you insane?”

She threw her hands in the air. “I’m out of ideas, Malachai. Maybe you just need to get your negative emotions out another way. People say they can ‘fuck away their frustrations.’ So why don’t we try it? Maybe then you’ll see that you can enjoy life without going after the people who aren’t worth shit. Killing them is just giving them peace. Why not leave them on edge for years, not knowing where you are? Not knowing when you might or might not come after them? Isn’t that better? Hell, screw the condoms and let’s try making a baby to break our curses. I’m willing to do anything to get you not to kill the Geminis.”

“Why the hell do they matter so much to you? Those people oppressed yours for your entire life. They call you all sorts of slurs— hell, I called you those slurs when we met! You don’t know them. Why do you care if they live or die? Those strangers ruined your life.”

“How am I any better than them if I go after them and make their lives terrible?” she asked. “I’ve killed twenty-nine people, Malachai, and that isn’t counting any of the Travelers whose death I helped orchestrate. I already told you, it didn’t make me feel better. This whole thing started because the witches and the Travelers had a disagreement about Immortality. The witches think all things should eventually die. 

“Killing them is literally giving them what they want! Balance! Because they know there are more witches out there. Getting my revenge makes me just as bad as the people who chased me for so long. It makes me as bad as the woman who impaled me with a hot poker. I don’t want that to be the start of my new life when I get back there, Malachai. I had to be a mercenary to survive before. Now, there’s a chance I may be already free of the curse of having to move around. 

“I could graduate, I could get a job, I could find some peace after losing everyone I love. I might get married and have kids and maybe, just maybe, they won’t be Travelers, and I’ll be happy knowing they’re safe. Human, but safe. I can’t waste my life focusing on anger. I want to do better. And maybe I can only think this way because I can feel guilt. 

“But there’s one thing I can feel that I want more than anything. Happiness. I want that for you. You won’t feel that through murder. You’ll feel satisfaction, sure. But not joy. Not real joy. If you stick with me, I can show you how you can be happy out there. We could do anything. Go anywhere. No one can stop us, Malachai. Not unless you hold yourself back and go back over and over again repeating the same cycle of violence. You’d only be limiting yourself. And I want you to be free. Because even though Bonnie thinks you don’t deserve it, I think that you do.”

He smoothed his fingers over her lips as she finished speaking. “As hard as it makes me,” he mumbled, “imagining you bent over the kitchen table while we go at it completely raw, I’m not gonna take you up on your offer.”

She just frowned, and started to cry. “Then I can’t be by your side, Malachai. I can’t help you commit murder. You have no idea how bad it can feel. One day we’ll break our curses. And on that day, your sociopathy will be wiped away. And you are going to have so much guilt crashing down on you. It’s going to hurt you so badly and I don’t like the idea of seeing you in that much pain. I’ve been a bitch and I’ve held grudges and I’ve made so many mistakes, and I just want to keep you from making them, too. We’re supposed to hate each other, Kai. It’s in our blood to want to kill one another. But we moved past that…”

“I can’t hate you, Vivi,” said Kai. “I fucking tried. I tried not to give a shit about you, but it was so fucking hard. That’s the thing. You, you want to be good even though you haven’t been the best person in the past. You hurt people because you had to, not because you wanted to. Them? They wanted to be cruel. And they continue to be cruel. ‘Cause I haven’t been liberated. So clearly, they don’t think I deserve freedom.”

He put his hands on her shoulders. “Please. Give up. I don’t want you wasting time trying to convince me to not do something I’m already set on. If you’re going to walk away the instant we get out of here, then I want to spend as much time with you as possible.” He heaved a sigh and looked up at the sky. “Which means we’re driving back. But… you’re still going on a plane.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she spluttered. 

“I’m taking you to the airport and we’re gonna fly the plane just a little bit. You can either sit in the first class area or in the cockpit with me. But you’re gonna learn what it’s like to face your fears. You told me your parents wanted you to conquer your fears. If you’re gonna explore the world and be happy, planes are kinda something you can’t avoid.”

He’d practically had to drag her onto a plane in the Portland Airport. She’d been willing to try it, until he’d buckled her up in the cockpit and started preparing for their flight. 

“I can’t do this,” she said, starting to breathe heavily. “Malachai, let me out of here.”

“Can’t, baby, the plane’s engine is already heating up.”

“Let me the hell out! I don’t want to fly, I never wanted to fly—”

“Shut up and just look straight ahead and maybe, just maybe, I’ll consider going with you instead of killing the Gemini Coven.”

She shut her mouth, and looked at the runway ahead of them. He’d started to move the plane, faster and faster, and all she could do was look forward, seeing the buildings zipping past. He started pulling the control wheel back, and she felt them starting to ascend. She gripped the edges of her seat, leaning back before shutting her eyes as they started to go higher and higher.

Her ears popped, and she gritted her teeth, feeling like she just might throw up. At last, she felt the plane grow level, and when she opened her eyes, she could see the ground very very very far away from them. 

“I went pretty low, to be honest, I’ve gone all the way to like forty-two thousand feet and we’re barely at a thousand. Want to fly it?”

“Fly it?” she squeaks as he started to unbuckle his seatbelt. “No, no—”

He got to his feet and unbuckled her, picking her up and planting her on his lap as he sat back down. His arms came around her body, guiding her hands to the control wheel. He clicked a few nozzles before bringing her arms back, so that they could ascend a bit more.

“Relax,” he whispered in her ear, feeling that she was trembling. “You’re doing just fine. Don’t think that we’re gonna crash, ‘cause we’re not. We have magic, first of all. Second of all, I’ve kinda become an expert in this stuff. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She started to calm down a bit once he helped her get them to a steady altitude again. She was still breathing rather heavily, since his chin was on her shoulder, looking out at what was ahead of them.

“Let’s turn this baby around,” he said after around half an hour of them just cruising through the sky. He sat up a bit, and got her to slowly bring the plane around. This time, she was much less afraid. Once the airport was in view, he started walking her through how to land it. And at last, they touched ground, before the plane finally came to a complete stop.

“Good girl,” he said, once she leaned back, clutching her chest. “You just flew a plane.”

“If that hadn’t gone well, I would have killed you,” she said, getting off of him.

“If that hadn’t gone well, you’d be dead. But sure. Certain you don’t want to just fly to Mystic Falls?”

“Weren’t you the one that wanted to spend time with me?”

“You really don’t want to stay with me?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to stay with you. I just don’t want to be there while you kill all these Geminis.”

“What would we do otherwise, Vivi?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we’d stay in a house for ten days watching movies and talking through history. Maybe we’d go to the Czech Republic so I can finally see where my ancestors came from. We could tour Italy and take selfies on the top of the Vatican. We could do anything. Anything as long as it didn’t hurt anyone. We could… I don’t know, have sex for the first time on the Eiffel Tower. The sky’s the fucking limit.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t like the idea of fucking you in public for your first time. Not where people might see you.”

She peered over her shoulder, having just been about to get out of the plane. “Where would you fuck me then?”

“Don’t do this, Vivi,” said Kai with a slight groan. “Now you’re just being mean, trying to make me horny so I won’t revert to my literal default state.”

“I’m not trying to make you horny. I’m genuinely curious. Where would you fuck me?”

He became more serious. “My bed. So that I can push your pretty face into familiar bedsheets.”

She gulped when he came closer. “Friendly reminder… my bed isn’t too far from here. I bet I still have some condoms in my nightstand, in case you were only kidding about us making a baby. But if you weren’t kidding, then I’m more than happy to fuck you until I made sure it worked.”

“I was kidding,” she said half-heartedly. “The conversation… about the kids… probably not the best idea to conceive one in a prison world.”

His lip twitched into a smirk. “Alright. Fine by me. You know, we should really settle how we’re gonna get back to Mystic Falls, you know. Still on the fence about planes? You did just fly one.”

She bit her lip. “The sooner we get out the better. Fuck it. Let’s take the plane.”

As soon as they made sure that the plane was fueled up, and as soon as they’d loaded in their dark objects, Kai started to fly them to Charlottesville, since Mystic Falls didn’t have an actual airport.

“What are we gonna tell Bonnie?” asked Vivianna. “We have to wake her up to give her blood.”

“She’s not gonna have much of a choice,” said Kai. “She’s gonna wake up and we’re gonna have all the magic we need to get out. We still have the Ascendant. Unless she wants to stay trapped here, she’ll cooperate. I’d kill her, you know, but you wouldn’t want that, so now I can’t do it. Otherwise you’ll never sleep with me.”

“Despite not knowing Bonnie, I don’t want her dead. But just to make a point, I might still sleep with you if you killed her. Apparently Damon’s girlfriend still became his girlfriend even though he killed like everyone she knows.”

“Talk about a nutcase. Wonder how Damon’s doing out there. The bastard better not be formulating a plan to trap us in here. Otherwise, this will all have been for nothing.”

“I’d like to think it did something. Even though you seem to think I’m yours, and even though you want to kill the Gemini Coven… we connected. And I think it bodes well for if we ever do break these curses. Deep down, you have good parts. Your sociopathy just suppresses them.”

“You’re not afraid of what people will say?” he asked, tilting his head a bit. “A Traveler dating a Gemini?”

“I’m the last one. There isn’t anyone to judge me. Besides… I never exactly said anything about dating, but…”

He looked flustered. “I just assumed—”

“I’m teasing. I don’t know for sure, but… it doesn’t sound bad to me. I know that right now, you can’t feel anything back. But I think you might be able to one day. And I look forward to it. Let’s be more serious now. What’s the first thing you want to do when we get back?”

“I want to find my siblings. At least see what they have to say.”

“Okay. We could do that.”

“What about you?”

“I would like to find the people who may have kept the Traveler ashes for me. To see if I’ll be able to use it. Right now… well, I think, at least… Mystic Falls has a dome of Traveler magic keeping vampires out. So I don’t know where I’ll find everyone. Probably in Whitmore. I just hope that the ashes are somewhere. ‘Cause if they don’t exist… I’m basically screwed.”

He pursed his lips. “Can’t you just get all the Traveler Magic from the spell?”

“No. It’s way too much power, there’s no way I can capture it. It could kill me. Why are you asking?”

“Well, ‘cause if you had that much power in you, you’d never have to rely on ashes.”

“I can’t handle that. My body wasn’t built for it.”

“Do you think if you could channel it, it might be enough to break your curse?”

“I mean… I don’t know… like I said, it is Traveler Magic. I don’t think I can use that to do Spirit Magic. But having that much power might be useful if I try to break your curse. So… I don’t know. How about this? You go to Mystic Falls, and see if you find a way to take the spell down and capture its power. I’ll go try and find my ashes.”

“Well what about me seeing my siblings? Bonnie will rat us out right away. The entire Gemini Coven will converge on us.”

“Then it sure would be nice to have a lot of magic to make our escape, right? Look, Malachai, whether we do it my way and lay low, or whether we do it your way and kill them, we need a lot more magic than what’s in these dark objects. You happen to be a human vacuum for magic. If anyone can remove that spell, it’s you.”

That was what they ended up doing. They’d woken Bonnie up, and it hadn’t taken much to convince her to give her blood. She knew it was either comply, or die. They’d arrived in Mystic Falls at 12:29pm on June 7th, 2012. 

“We’re within the anti-magic border,” said Vivianna, lifting her hand, able to feel the magic. “Bonnie and I will head to Whitmore. She needs to retrieve her magic. I need my ashes, if they exist.”

“While you’re at it,” said Kai, “see if you can find where my siblings are.”

“Alright.”

Bonnie wasn’t happy that Vivianna was going to do that for him. “He’ll kill them, you know,” she said once they arrived at the first building on Whitmore campus— a lecture hall that looked like a very old and creepy building straight out of a horror film. 

“No, he won’t,” she said. “I think some part of what I said to him got through.”

“He put me in a coma! He’s never gonna change.”

“He could have killed you, Bonnie. And he didn’t. Let’s go in here and see if we can find anyone. You said that’s the Occult Studies building. Your grandmother taught there. Someone’s gotta be able to tell us if Elena Gilbert and Caroline Forbes are still on this campus. We already tried calling and no one picked up, so…”

Bonnie sighed in exasperation. “Fine. Let’s see what we find in there. If not, we’ll walk around campus.”

They were able to find someone they knew pretty quickly.

“Holy shit,” said a man Vivianna recognized. “Bonnie.”

“Ric!” she said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I teach here,” he said. From behind him, appeared another familiar woman, though this one made Vivianna go rigid.

“I’m sorry,” said the blue-eyed woman. “Ric, did you just call her Bonnie? As in the Bonnie that’s in…” she looked up at Vivianna. “You’re the Traveler girl. But… but if you’re both here…”

“Kai’s out,” said Bonnie awkwardly, having no idea who the woman was. “I’m sorry, and you are—?”

“Jo,” said the woman shakily, looking as though she might collapse. "Kai's twin sister."

Chapter Text

Jo was understandably distressed.

Apparently, Bonnie’s friend group (or, as Vivianna and many others liked to call them— ‘The Scooby Gang’) had only recently learned about Kai Parker, which led to the discovery that they were actually acquainted with his three remaining siblings.

After Damon, Bonnie, and Vivianna didn’t return from the Other Side, everyone had gone ballistic. Not because they missed Vivianna (since they didn’t really know her), but because Damon and Bonnie had been the lifeline of their friend group. Her, being the only witch in a group of vampires, who had helped them many times despite it hurting her. Him, Vivianna supposed, because he was funny on a few choice days.

Elena Gilbert, Caroline Forbes, Jeremy Gilbert, and Stefan Salvatore had taken it the hardest, of course. Alaric Saltzman (who apparently was no longer the Original vampire that Vivianna recalled hearing he was) had coped with alcohol and choosing to teach a summer class at Whitmore College in preparation for becoming the Occult Studies Professor. There, he’d met Josette Laughlin (which was something Vivianna didn’t understand— where did ‘Laughlin’ come from? She assumed it may have been her mother’s maiden name. She figured keeping ‘Parker’ would make it a little obvious where she came from, if she really did know many witches). 

After Stefan decided that disappearing and cutting everyone off was the best idea ever, Alaric had convinced Caroline and Elena to sign up for summer classes to take their mind off of it. He admitted it had been a little suspicious to him that Elena said ‘yes’ so quickly, until he learned that she’d been keeping in contact with Luke Parker, who’d been supplying her with herbs so she could hallucinate Damon.

Vivianna refrained from making comments about how all of them had chosen to get through their grief that first month before Damon came back. 

She didn’t quite like that Stefan abandoned everyone, considering they needed him, too. 

She admired that Caroline had actually gone to a counselor and had picnics with her mom to discuss everything (not to mention she’d been researching for weeks already on how to remove the Traveler spell). 

She was concerned that Elena’s first instinct had been drugs to pretend Damon hadn’t died at all, and confused why those drugs hadn’t been used to hallucinate Bonnie (though, it seemed this was not Bonnie’s first time dying, and perhaps that explained it a bit). 

She tried not to judge Alaric for drowning it all in booze, since it seemed to be common ground for him and Jo, who seemed to be forming a relationship. 

And, when they revealed to Bonnie (apparently Jeremy’s girlfriend?) that Jeremy had been sleeping around and drinking until he felt sick, Vivianna had pressed her lips together as tightly as humanly possible to not ruin her chances of getting the Traveler ashes. Apparently, Jeremy had collected them and kept them in an urn for her, alongside many of Bonnie’s possessions, which he hadn’t wanted to get rid of. 

It all came down to everyone meeting for dinner to have a mental check-in with one another. Luke Parker had been invited by Elena as a ‘thank you’ for the herbs. He’d brought his twin sister Liv Parker, who apparently had a thing with Tyler Lockwood, the boy that’d hosted Julian (Vivianna made a mental note that she didn’t want to see him anytime soon). Several shots of tequila later, embarrassing baby videos had been brought up, and the Parker twins discovered that Jo was their sister. 

Vivianna found this quite sad, because that meant that right after sending Kai into the prison world, Jo had practically disappeared from their lives. Which was good for her, of course, but sucky for the twins. The way they spoke of their father (according to Jo) was startling for her. After finding four of his children dead, imprisoning one, and allowing the other to leave (with the real-world Ascendant), it was expected he’d been an even lousier father than the first time around with Kai. 

Again, not her place to judge. So she was quiet.

Then, it was their turn to tell their story, which Jo was especially nervous for. She hadn’t wanted Alaric to spend so much time telling their side, but it was clearly necessary so that Bonnie and Vivianna could understand who they were now dealing with outside of the prison world.

Vivianna had to go first, as the majority of her time in there had been spent with Kai. Damon had already told his side up to the point where Bonnie sent him out, which mostly consisted of board games and arguments with the Bennett witch. 

Jo’s eyes had progressively widened, hearing Vivianna talking about Kai in a more positive light. Was it disgust or surprise or a little bit of both? Maybe even anger. She didn’t understand how this Traveler girl could possibly see a single spot of good on that murderous sociopath who robbed her of four of her beloved siblings.

“And now we’re here,” said Vivianna, after explaining the quest for the dark objects and the magic to get out. “He wants to help me break my curse so that I can do Traditional Magic again and maybe settle down somewhere. And I’m trying to keep him from going berserk on the Gemini Coven. I have a shot at breaking his curse. Getting the sociopathic side of him wiped away for good.”

“Why would you tell us all this?” asked Jo in disbelief. “You just admitted his entire plan. Gave us a warning in advance.”

“Because I don’t want him to kill all of you!” said Vivianna. “He’s going to try to get that Traveler spell off of Mystic Falls. With that much magic… he can break my curse and then I can break his. He’ll feel guilt and pain and everything a non-sociopathic person would feel. He won’t want revenge. He’ll spend the rest of his days trying to earn forgiveness.”

Jo just shook her head. “How could you think him worthy of freedom?”

“I get that he did something evil, okay? I can’t imagine how horrible it was to lose your siblings at the hands of your twin. He told me exactly what he did to them and it sounds sickening and horrifying. And maybe it was mostly on him. Maybe it had nothing do to with the abuse. But let’s not forget it was actually there. Of course he snapped. He wanted to get back at your dad. I have to play devil’s advocate because I sure as hell would have done the same if my brother had helped my parents neglect me. You were his twin.”

“I tried so hard to be respectful,” said Jo, her voice wavering. “I did. I tried to speak to my dad and he never listened. Kai only grew angrier and angrier and he acted out more and more. He hated me and I just got sick of trying to defend him. So I kept my distance, sure. Let my dad be the parent because he was the parent. I just focused on helping my siblings learn magic.”

“Parents aren’t always right, you know. It was cruel of him to act that way with Kai when it wasn’t his fault he was born that way. Different from everyone else. I know he feels some guilt already, Jo. He can start on a path to being better if I help him. He won’t hurt me. He cares about me.”

“You’re delusional!” said Jo. “My brother can’t care about anyone!”

“He cares about me. I don’t know exactly how, but it has to do with the fact I stuck by his side. I made him feel safe and worthy of more than just imprisonment. I showed him basic human decency and he started to feel things that didn’t make sense to him. He told me that himself. If that can happen while he’s a sociopath… imagine what he can feel when that curse on the Gemini Coven is broken. No one will have to Merge anymore.”

Jo, however, didn’t seem to be paying attention to her words anymore. She was staring at her strangely. “You’re bleeding,” she noticed. “Your nose…”

Vivianna frowned, lifting her sleeve, and wiping over her top lip. She looked down at her hand, and saw that she was indeed bleeding. “What? But Travelers don’t get nosebleeds.”

“What if it’s because you’re the last one left?” asked Bonnie. “You died almost immediately after they did and you were supposed to come back but you didn’t. What if your body isn’t stable in this world anymore?”

“Is that even possible?” asked Vivianna, feeling the blood was now dripping down to her mouth.

Jo rushed forward with some paper, instructing Vivianna to hold it to her nose. “Don’t tilt your head back, it could cause you to swallow the blood.” She brought out a penlight, and lifted each of the Traveler’s eyelids. “Your pupils are… dilating. They’re not supposed to do that.”

“Okay, I’m starting to worry,” said Vivianna, before letting out a grunt. “Ow…” Blood started to appear on the front of her shirt. Jo tore it up, noting that one of Vivianna’s more noticeable scars was bleeding. The jagged one that she got when she was mugged, and the man had slashes his knife upwards towards her head.

“Do you feel dizzy?” asked Jo, quickly getting her to sit down against the wall. In the time they’d been talking, the lecture hall had cleared out, and they were left alone. “Ric, go back to your classroom and get the bag I left in there.”

He rushed off, and Bonnie came to kneel beside them. “What’s happening to her?” she asked worriedly.

“I don’t know,” said Jo. “I don’t practice magic… haven’t for a really long time. I wouldn’t know if this is magical or just… her body dying.”

“Quick,” said Bonnie, “I need to know if you heard anything about a bear with magic.”

“Yes,” said Jo, who was now pressing her hands on Vivianna’s abdomen to try and stop the bleeding. “Your friend Jeremy kept it. It was this whole thing… Alaric, Stefan, and Damon went to Portland to try and get the Ascendant to bring the two of you back, and they were able to use the bear to get into my family’s house. My father tried to kill me, and I kept the Ascendant hidden, and had Alaric give the bear to someone else. I guess none of it matters now that Kai is out.”

“I’m sorry,” said Vivianna with a light wheeze, noticing how terrified Jo looked. “I just want to help.”

“What happened was between him and my family,” said Jo, trying not to be harsh with her as Bonnie ran off to try and call Jeremy and get her bear back. “I suppose that’s why someone not part of it might see some good in Kai. But he’ll just hurt you.”

Suddenly, Vivianna let out a loud cry of pain, doubling over and holding her stomach. “AHH!” she screamed, as more blood started to leak out of the scar. 

“Ric!” screamed Jo as he came running back. The woman frantically started taking all sorts of things out of it— more penlights, gauze, lap pads, even scalpels. 

“NO!” cried out Vivianna, bringing her hands up to her head and smacking it. “NO! STOP IT!”

“What the hell is happening to her?” asked Alaric as Jo pressed the lap pads to her wound.

“Vivianna,” said Jo, trying to get her attention as she kept groaning in pain. “Tell me what you feel.”

“It’s Kai!” she cried out as blood started leaking out of her nose at a much faster rate. “The spell! The—” she started to cough, and Jo managed not to flinch as she coughed out a wad of blood.

“Oh my god,” said Alaric, turning away and dialing Caroline’s number. 

_

Back in Mystic Falls, Kai was completely oblivious to it. He was sitting right at the border after taking a good half-hour planning a spell and walking around to feel where the magic was most concentrated in order to start siphoning it. 

He’d dug his hands into the ground, chanting quietly to himself, starting to take the magic in. He was almost giddy, thinking Vivianna would be happy to learn that he could certainly handle this much magic in his body, even if she couldn’t. 

The only problem was that neither of them knew it would transfer over.

_

“AHHHH!” screamed Vivianna, holding her head as she thrashed on the floor, with Jo still trying to stop the bleeding. “MAKE IT STOP! HE HAS TO STOP!”

“What is he doing?!” cried Jo, who didn’t understand. “Vivianna, please try to tell me—”

“The Traveler Spell!” she cried, gasping and starting to tremble. “It’s too much magic! We’re linked! WE’RE LINKED!”

“Oh, shit,” said Jo. “Ric—”

“Caroline’s on her way,” said Alaric. “The one damn time we need them and they’re all on a freaking road trip. What is it?”

“The Traveler spell they mentioned,” said Jo, forcing Vivianna to sit up so she wouldn’t choke on her own blood. “She says she’s linked to Kai, and he’s just started sucking up an insane amount of magic. She’s a Traveler! Her body wasn't meant to hold this much magic at once! He’s siphoning, and it’s turning it from Traveler Magic into Traditional Magic! If they’re linked, it’s trying to balance itself out, but it’s just killing her!”

_

Kai was humming, even wiggling his feet a little bit. Oh, this felt good. More and more magic was flowing through his veins. He felt like he was on a high right now, and man, was it wonderful. He imagined that’s how good it would feel to have sex again after eighteen years. Boy, was he looking forward to that. Maybe after this, Vivi would finally feel comfortable. If she didn’t, then he found himself realizing that he was fine waiting. He wanted to do it with her, not anyone else. If she wasn’t ready, then by default, neither was he.

_

Vivianna was still screaming her head off as Alaric called Damon, trying to see if he could go and get Kai to stop whatever he was doing. 

“Just try to stay calm,” said Jo frantically, not sure what else she could do. Vivianna was practically being destroyed from the inside out.

“Damon’s asking if you can’t absorb the magic yourself,” said Alaric, who’d finally connected with the vampire.

“I’m not a siphoner,” said Jo. “And even if I was, trying to interfere would just kill her faster. I’d need to channel the magic instead, using it on something else, but I don’t have my own magic, I can’t—”

“Damon!” said Alaric. “Did you hear that? You need to find Kai Parker right now and get him to stop whatever he’s doing, right now!”

Damon, apparently, hadn’t gotten the full memo of what was happening. “What the fuck are you talking about? What does Kai Parker have to do with any of this? He’s out, too?”

“Yes, Kai Parker is out of the prison world, and he’s trying to take down the Traveler spell. But Jo’s here with me, along with the Traveler girl you said was in there with you. Whatever he’s doing is killing her. Caroline’s on her way to get us vampire blood but—”

“She’s not gonna make it,” said Jo as Vivianna started to seize. “Damon won’t get there in time. She’s already bleeding out of her eyes. What Linking Spell did they use?! How is it possible that it’s killing her, but not him?”

“I heard them say something about Connective Magic,” said Damon before he hung up.

Jo cursed loudly. “I don’t— I don’t know that kind of magic. We hardly use it…”

_

Kai had been having the time of his life, and he’d just finished sucking up the last of the spell when he sensed Damon was behind him. He swirled his hands in the air, and Damon was thrown back.

“If it isn’t my favorite vampire,” said Kai, seeing there was a woman with him. “Oh, you must be Eleanor. I think I heard your name.”

“Stop it!” yelled Damon when Kai flicked his hand, sending Elena flying into the nearest tree, staking her to it. She let out a scream, as the branch had gone through her stomach. “Kai, stop!”

Kai pressed his palms into the air in front of him, and Damon fell to his knees, holding his head and crying out in pain. “Quick question, did you come because of Bonnie? Did she rat us out already?”

“Vivianna!” Damon gasped.

“Nice try. Vivi wouldn’t rat me out. Is that you guys’ new strategy? Turning us against each other to get your way? Not happening. She may not be okay with me killing the Geminis, but she never said anything about you…”

_

Jo was pressing on Vivianna’s chest frantically, trying CPR. Caroline had showed up at least two minutes ago, but her vampire blood wasn’t doing anything. 

“No,” said Jo, pumping her chest furiously. “You don’t get to die on me! Come on. Breathe!”

“What’s gonna happen to her?” asked Caroline fearfully. “If she dies with my blood in her system…”

“She’s not dying today!” said Jo. “Reach into my pocket. There should be a pen there. I need you to take it apart without breaking any of the components. Leave just the hollow tube.”

Caroline just did as instructed, and when she had the tube ready, she handed it to Jo. “Woah, woah—” said the vampire when she saw Jo was clearing some blood off of Vivianna’s neck. “What are you—”

“Her throat has blood in it. I need to open her trachea or she’s not going to be able to breathe.” She reached for a scalpel and sliced into the Traveler's neck before stabbing the pen in.

There was a hiss as air flowed out, and Jo started giving chest compressions again. “I need you to take Ric to the hospital and get some doctors to meet us over here, now.”

Caroline sped away after grabbing onto Alaric’s arm.

“Just hold on,” Jo was pleading. “Hold on, Vivianna, you can’t die on me… please…”

_

“Don’t!” yelled Damon. “She’s dying!”

Kai immediately stopped. “What are you talking about?”

“The Traveler— magic—” he gasped. Off to the side, Elena had only just managed to dislodge herself from the tree, but she was still panting, as if trying to recover. “It’s killing her!”

Kai narrowed his eyes. “You’re bluffing.”

“Your sister… Jo…  she and Ric called…”

Kai, who had no idea who ‘Ric’ was, flicked his hand, snapping Damon’s neck. 

“He’s not lying!” screamed Elena quickly. “You guys are linked! The magic is transferring over to her and she’s dying!”

Kai faltered. “Where the hell is she?”

“Whitmore,” panted Elena. “Jo… is trying to save her.”

“My sister is trying to save her life?”

“Yes,” confirmed Elena, crawling over to where Damon was and getting between him and Kai. “Don’t hurt us… please…”

Kai vanished into thin air.

When he arrived in Whitmore, he made a beeline for the hospital. He didn’t care about anything anymore. He forgot about Liv and Luke. He forgot about his entire plan to decimate the Gemini Coven. He’d already used up as much magic as he could, keeping himself invisible, hot wiring a car, making it invisible too, and speeding down empty stretches of road to try and get to Whitmore. He’d made himself visible again just to come inside, rushing to the front desk.

“Sir, please don’t cut in line,” said the nurse at the front desk.

“I need to know who just got admitted!” he said frantically. “Someone named Vivianna— I don’t know—”

“Sir—”

“Tell me where she is right now!” he yelled, making the light start to flicker.

Someone grabbed him from behind, and he was about to smack them, when he saw Jo.

“She’s alive,” said Jo shakily, quickly letting go of him. “But she needs you to heal her, or she’s not gonna make it through the night.”

He’d had to force himself not to walk ahead of Jo as she led him upstairs, to the room where Vivianna had been put in. She had a tube in her neck, and dried blood all over her skin.

“No,” he said, rushing forward and grabbing her hand. “Vivi… no… I thought it wasn’t gonna hurt you…” He put his hand on her head. “She’s cold… why is she cold?”

“Her body is shutting down,” said Jo unsteadily from the doorway. “I thought bringing her to the hospital would help. But this is a magical affliction. There isn’t much anything in here can do for her. Siphoning… might kill her. But it could save her.”

“I have to put the magic away,” said Kai. “I can’t use it on her, and I can’t take more in, it’ll only make it worse… unless…” he looked at Jo. “What the hell is the Czech word for ‘unlink?’”

Jo came forward, opening Google Translate. The robotic female voice answered with, “Odpojit.”

Kai took Vivianna’s hand. “Odpojit,” he repeated, as accurately as he could.

Immediately, her hand started to grow warmer, and felt her magical signature dimming down little by little. He could feel some of magic was flowing back into him, which caused the lights to flicker again. 

Vivianna slowly opened her eyes, and started to panic when she found herself unable to breathe normally. But Kai quickly cupped her face, calming her down.

“It’s okay, Vivi, the tube is doing the breathing,” he said. “You’re fine. You’re fine...”

She started to whimper, patting his hand. He saw her tracing letters on it, and he could feel that she was spelling ‘M-A-G-I-C-?’

“The magic diminished a bit,” he said honestly. “It’s okay. I don’t care about that. You’re okay, Vivi…”

Jo felt a tear slide down her cheek when Kai rested his forehead against Vivianna’s.

Chapter Text

Jo pulled Kai aside.

“You need to let her sleep,” she said, in a voice as level as she could possibly muster. “She may no longer be dying, but she needs time to start healing.”

Kai just stared at her for a moment. “Is that all you have to say to me?”

“What do you want me to say to you?” she replied, all inclination of being kind fading away in seconds. “Hello, Malachai, it’s wonderful to see you again, eighteen years after you removed my spleen and murdered our younger siblings.”

Kai snorted. “Oh, sissy and her sarcasm… you were always bad at it.”

“Why are you here?”

“I’m guessing since you were with Vivi when all this happened, she already told you. There’s a lot of things I like about her, but the girl can’t keep her mouth shut. I figure you already called dad to tell him.”

“No, I didn’t,” said Jo. “But I did call the twins. And they probably told him. You did try to kill them when they were four, and completely defenseless.”

Kai rolled his eyes. “Not completely defenseless. They did have you to help them.”

“Otherwise, they wouldn’t even be alive,” said Jo sharply. “And neither would I.”

“Yeah… that stunt you pulled, putting away your magic before the Merge… harsh. I can sense you don’t have your magic on you. You should get it back so we can pick up where we left off.”

“I don’t know where it is.”

“Sure you do. You put it in that knife I stabbed you with.”

“Did I? Or did I take it back after you were gone and put it somewhere else? Or maybe, I already gave it to another witch, since, you know, I can actually do that with the right spell. Maybe I used it all on a really big spell for one of my patients who was dying of something that medicine didn’t have the answers for. Or maybe, I lost it on the battlefield when I was working as an army surgeon. The object could have been blown to bits by a bomb and the magic would have been released into the air. I always did find it strange that flowers sprouted near the shrapnel I was digging through, but I guess magic does that.”

Kai started to laugh. “Very funny, Jo. I think you did get funnier with age. We’re what, forty now? Guess you got dad’s genes, ‘cause you look old. Me, I got landed with mom’s genes. I’m thinking of telling people I got Botox when they see my license at bars and wonder why my birth year is 1972. Would that make sense?”

Jo just glared at him. “So that’s it, then? You’re here to Merge with me, to become leader of a Coven you hate?”

“Uh, yeah. Is any part of that unclear?”

“You do realize that any one of those witches will gladly take you and the entire Coven down with them just to be rid of you, right?”

Kai wagged his finger at her. “Risky move, making me aware of that contingency plan before I even do anything.”

“The lights are flickering everywhere you go,” she said with a deadpan expression. “I can feel the magic that’s bursting out of you. And I know you. I know you would do anything for power. I want you to be prepared to die, because no one in the Coven is going to tolerate having you as their leader. They all know that as soon as you’re in charge, you’ll go and kill them all one by one.”

“That’s the thing about murder,” said Kai, scrunching up his nose. “Vivi says it’s not actually fun to kill that many people. And she should know… she’s killed twenty-nine.”

Jo gulped. “She’s a Traveler. That’s the kind of people they are. I’m surprised you’d associate with one of them.”

Kai gave a dry laugh. “You know, I was rude with her, too, when I first met her. ‘Cause dad was always talking about how filthy Travelers were. How they needed to be exterminated. And I had her right under me… I was about to kill her at one point. And dad’s words were ringing in my ears, saying that the man who finally got rid of all the Travelers was going to be a very worshipped man, indeed. But then, she ended up treating me better than any of you ever did. And I can’t love her. Which sucks for her, ‘cause I can tell that all she wants is to be loved. She doesn’t have anybody anymore. But I can defend her, ‘cause I do give a shit about her. So… if you ever talk about her that way… I’ll cut out something more important than a spleen.”

Jo looked more afraid. “You haven’t changed a bit.”

“Maybe not. Maybe I never wanted to change. Everyday for the last eighteen years, I’ve thought about killing you in so many ways for having stabbed me in the back. My own twin sister, sending me to a prison world. Ouch.”

He started to walk backwards. “I’ve got some things to do. You keep an eye on my girl. And oh, just a disclaimer, I don’t mean this— because trust me, I hate you— but Vivi says you’re supposed to say this when someone does something that benefits you— Thank you, Josette. Thank you for saving her life. ‘Cause I think I really would have gone off the deep end if she had died.”

Jo stared at him in disbelief. He smirked, as if this was all to mock her. But she didn’t recall Kai ever thanking anyone in his life and looking as though he just might genuinely mean it. First he’d come in worried sick about this girl, this Traveler that he ought to hate. Then, he’d been comforting her. Pressing his forehead to hers, fluffing up her pillows, cracking jokes to keep her entertained even though she couldn’t talk back to him. Having a genuinely good time to distract her from the pain she was in.

Did he feel guilt? Because his hunger for power had led her to nearly die? She doubted that he could. 

But she recalled what he’d told her. He’d lost a massive amount of the Traveler magic when he unlinked himself from her. Jo knew that. Granted, there was still so much magic, it didn’t make much of a difference. However, he’d cared more about the fact that she was alive than the fact that he could have had so much more power if he’d never unlinked himself to begin with.

“Jo.”

She turned and saw Bonnie, who was holding an urn. “I have my magic back. And um— Jeremy gave me the Traveler ashes for her. I’m not staying… we’re gonna try to figure out if there’s any way I can… subdue Kai. To buy Vivi time to take his curse off. She wants to do it. And if she manages it, she can take away his sociopathy. He won’t want to Merge. And then, he’ll care about you and about Liv and Luke, and… everything will be fine.”

“Alright,” said Jo, carefully taking the urn. “Do I just…?”

“Leave it where she can see it, preferably somewhere that it won’t accidentally be knocked over. She’ll know what it is.”

Jo nodded, and watched Bonnie run off. She went back into Vivianna’s room, and set the urn down, and saw that she was still sleeping. She went to the IV, adjusting the medications so that she could put her in a bit of a deeper sleep while she adjusted her breathing tube.

“I don’t know what you did with him,” she muttered, only just noticing that Kai had apparently cleaned the blood off of her face, too. “But he cares. Even slightly. I always thought… he couldn’t be a full sociopath. There were days when he was sweet. Mostly when we were younger. A few when we were older, too. Once, he found out that an ex of mine had slapped me across the face after an argument. Kai never liked any of my boyfriends, he found them obnoxious because they tried to act all friendly with him, and he didn’t trust that they were being genuine. He… well, this isn’t exactly something I condone, but… he did punch that boy and slash his tires. It’s ridiculous to think of that as a good thing, considering he went on to murder our two sisters and two brothers. Then tried to kill the twins. But… there’s just something I’m seeing in him. You bring out those less-sociopathic parts of himself. Doesn’t stop the rude comments, but it does… bring to light some aspects that I made myself forget after that fateful day.”

Vivianna, of course, didn’t respond.

“How is she?” asked Damon once he came back, with Elena in tow. “Where’s her creepy boyfriend?”

“Kai said he had something to do,” said Jo a bit nervously. “Hasn’t been returned since. But Liv did text me, saying he approached her while she was with that boy she’s been talking to. I guess some unkind things were said, because Tyler punched Kai, but then he vanished into thin air.”

“Typical Geminis,” said Damon distastefully. “Your dad did the exact same thing when Ric, Stefan, and I went to go see him.”

Jo just sighed. “What are we going to do? Kai clearly has a plan. Right now, the only leverage we have against him is Vivianna. He can’t do anything, or he won’t get to see her. Still, he has so much magic inside of him right now. If he wanted to, he could kill us all. I bet he’s looking up the next celestial event so he can Merge with me.”

“Bonnie thinks that medicine might be able to get him back to square one,” said Elena. “Putting him to sleep with whatever you’re pumping into Vivianna. The magic might be gone when we wake him back up again. Then, Vivianna can use the Traveler ashes and make him… not a sociopath.”

“She’s one person. One Traveler. There aren’t any others left. She may have an urn full of ashes, but that’s not going to cut it.”

“They have dark objects,” said Damon. “Bonnie told us. Kai has them right now. I guess they went around the prison world gathering every single Traveler item they could find. If she channels that, she can manage it. This curse wouldn't just affect Kai. The entire Gemini Coven would be affected. They wouldn’t have to do their creepy Merge anymore.”

Jo frowned. “What?”

“If Vivianna’s Traveler magic actually pulls through, the Merge isn’t gonna be a thing anymore. Bonnie is sure of it. Bonnie even offered to help with the spell ‘cause I guess the Bennetts and the Geminis are BFFs. Granted, we have no fucking clue what will happen after that.”

“Many things could happen,” said Jo. “My father would cease to be the leader. We weren’t the original bloodline that started the Coven. We got lucky because my father was born a twin. I don’t think anyone knows who the original leader was. They’d be torn apart fighting over who deserves to be leader.”

“Somehow, I feel like Kai and Vivianna wouldn’t mind that,” said Elena. “Kai doesn’t like them. But doing that… he wouldn’t technically be the one killing them. They’d be killing each other. And the Gemini hunted the Travelers for centuries. Vivianna just wants to be free. It’s why she was going to help us in the first place.”

“I think I should call my dad,” said Jo. “I haven’t kept up with the Coven’s issues in… a really long time. He would know if that’s a smart move or not. We still have several months until the twins turn twenty-two. My dad will want them to Merge, because I can’t beat Kai. And… I don’t know if I even want to.”

“Huh?” said Damon. “Are you crazy? Everyone wants you to beat Kai. It’s the only way anyone would ever support a Merge between the two of you. Besides, why is this even a conversation? He wants to Merge, we all know that. But you don’t. And Blond and Blonder are already here, so why not make them do it? We just need time. I’ll take Kai down, Bonnie will put him to sleep with a spell once you pump him full of meds. Vivianna will do her Traveler jazz hands and make him nice, and no one will have to Merge.”

“Let me just call my dad.”

“Wait,” said Elena. “Why wouldn’t you want to beat him?”

Jo shrugged. “I don’t know. For a moment, I saw the twin who laughed and said we should wear matching sweaters on Christmas, after we turned twenty-one. He had some ridiculous idea that we’d get drunk and start looking more like twins. He always said we didn’t look enough alike. It was the most ridiculous thing, but I felt… like things might one day be alright. Eventually, my dad would let him leave the house and Kai would have peace in his own life. I guess it’s on me for not vouching for him.”

She sighed and quickly shook her head. “I’ll call my dad, see what he says. Maybe I won’t mention that Vivianna’s a Traveler, I’ll say she’s a Bennett cousin. My dad hates the Travelers. Besides, he thinks they died for good. The twins already had told him that. He threw them a damn party because they were a part of that event.”

“That’s definitely not weird,” said Damon. “Considering Elena and I were the ones who actually drove the car into the Mystic Grill.”

Damon and Elena ended up going there for lunch, while Caroline went to visit her mother (since vampires were now allowed back in Mystic Falls). Alaric had come by just as Jo was taking a break to contact her father.

“You look worried,” Alaric noticed, holding up the bag of food he’d brought for her. 

“Thank you,” she said, taking the Thai food and starting to unpack it so that she could eat. “I haven’t called my dad in awhile. And now, I have to basically face him after I neglected to tell him that Kai is out? The twins likely told him already and he’ll be furious.”

“Take a deep breath,” said Alaric. “You were in shock. Just tell him that. You just happened to tell someone who was a bit closer. He is in Portland. That’s pretty dang far.”

Jo pursed her lips before dialing Joshua Parker’s number.

“Jo,” he said, and he didn’t sound too happy. “I was wondering if you would call me.”

“They told you already, didn’t they?”

“I’m surprised that you didn’t. Considering he’s your twin and you were the one who helped us imprison him.”

“I was still processing everything.”

“And playing doctor for that Traveler brat.”

Jo’s heart sank. “They told you that, too.”

“If you have any sense at all, Jo, you’ll drive up her medications and let her die in her sleep. Those vermin have been a plague on this earth for two thousand years. Your psychotic brother comes back and threatens our very existence, and brings with him the most disgusting type of person on the planet? I thought Kai could stoop no lower… you ought to run a blood test. Make sure she isn’t pregnant. It would be catastrophic if the Gemini line merged with the Travelers. We’d be impure.”

“I already ran a blood test. She’s not. And even if she was, with these medications, it wouldn’t have been a viable pregnancy. Dad— I wanted to talk about what she can do for our Coven.”

“You think a Traveler can do something for our Coven, other than infect it?”

“She can break the curse, dad. She could make it so we don’t have to Merge anymore. It would be like every other witch Coven, with one leader getting elected by the people. She could cure Kai. She could take away his sociopathy.”

“That curse has been there for centuries. What makes her think that she can remove it single-handedly? It could kill us! The Gemini Coven survives because of the Merge. Good leaders are picked. Those with strength of mind as well as inherently powerful magic. Everyone’s lives are linked to mine at the moment. If this spell is carried out, it may very well kill me, because I was the last one who completed the Merge. And if I die, everyone dies with me.”

“But what if it doesn’t go wrong? What if she can do it and then, you can still be the leader, just until you feel it’s time to pick a new one? You could choose for Lucas and Olivia to be leaders together, for the new era of the Gemini Coven.”

“It’s too good to be true. Those Travelers are as weak as they are dirty and disgusting. One of them alone can’t do this. Don’t be foolish, Josette. You can’t trust them. You’re better off finding Kai and killing him. Liv and Luke know their duty to this Coven. They have to Merge.”

“They shouldn’t have to do that! They’re so young, they’ve barely even lived. They deserve to have more to life than just this. If she were to do this spell, it would change everything.”

“I’m saying no. Find Kai, now. Subdue him, kill him, whatever you have to do. You are not to Merge with him. You were liberated of that duty eighteen years ago. If you cannot take Kai down, I will Merge the twins before they turn twenty-two. It’s perfectly possible, given the fact I am the leader.”

“Dad, no! That— you can’t do that!”

“Coven before family, Josette. The lives of the entire Coven are at stake. If few must die to save us all, it is worth it. We’ll all be safer if you just kill Kai and that Traveler girl.”

“She’s my patient, dad. I won’t kill her.”

Jo had gone home that night feeling uncomfortable. This was the perfect way out. Why couldn’t her father see it? 

Meanwhile, Vivianna had woken up feeling a tad better than before. She found a small juice box waiting for her, and had reached over, bringing it to her lips. It tasted very bland but with a hint of iron, which let her know that someone had left her vampire blood. Caroline, she figured. Or maybe it had been Damon. She figured it was the blonde who’d already helped save her life earlier.

“Good, you’re awake.”

She looked over and saw Kai was there. “Hi,” she said weakly. “Have you been here the whole time?”

“Went to run an errand while you were sleeping,” he said. “Got that wolf boy Tyler to get the twins in on my plan. They don’t want to have to Merge, and since my dad told Jo he doesn't want you doing the spell to undo the curse on the Geminis… the twins are gonna help me Merge with Jo.”

“Your dad…? Why is your dad involved in this?”

“Jo told the twins about you and they opened their fat mouths. It’s okay. They’ll be dead eventually.”

She frowned, and he rolled his eyes. “Kidding. I’m inclined to let them live if they continue to be helpful. Speaking of that, I managed to get a phone, and Bonnie was super helpful about teaching me how to use it. I think she just wanted me to stop bothering her. Did you know her boyfriend is like, barely eighteen? They started having their thing when he was still in high school. Totally not weird.”

“What do you like most about your phone?” she asked, feeling well enough to turn onto her side.

“Twitter,” he said. “I got it and I’ve already tweeted so many things.”

“What’s your username thingy?”

“CobraKai1972.”

“Honestly expected that.”

“Why, what’s yours?”

“VannaZima.”

He looked it up, and smirked, seeing that her last Tweet was from 2009, when she’d graduated high school. “Wouldja look at that,” he said, opening the attached picture, of Julian and Maria standing on either side of her while she grinned, holding up her diploma. “You and your brother looked alike.”

“Really?” she said. “He always looked more like my mom, and I looked more like my dad.”

“You guys have the exact same nose and mouth. Eyes aside, you can totally tell you’re related. Dang. Maria was hot.”

“I know. I teased Julian once when he was scared of proposing to her— I said that if he didn’t do it, I would. He was always so… worried. He would always ask me, ‘Vanna, how did I manage to get the most beautiful woman in the world to be my wife?’ And I’d tell him, ‘Your last name is Zima, she probably thought you owned the company.’ All jokes, of course, but he did feel… insecure sometimes. About his looks mostly. We both had a lot of issues with that. We’d spend three years in other bodies and we’d go back to our own and they’d aged. Changed when we weren’t in them. We never felt we looked the same. It was… really weird.”

“You didn’t think you were pretty?”

She shrugged. “Some days, I wake up, and my body just looks… different than how I last saw it. And it makes me feel weird. There are weeks where I just feel so ugly. Others, I think I might just fall in love with myself. Sounds weird, but… it’s just how it is sometimes.”

“You’re beautiful. And I can mean that, you know, ‘cause I can still feel lust. I know when someone is actually good looking and when they’re only so-so. You’re really pretty.”

Vivianna blushed. “Oh… well… um… thank you.”

Kai got to his feet. “Now that you’re all better, we should really go. Since my dad knows I’m here, plan’s gotta be delayed a bit. We need time for Jo to get her magic back. And then, we need to catch the Geminis off-guard. So, how about we get our bag of dark objects and go hide out somewhere for a week or two?”

She blinked. “You mean it? You want us to… kinda go along with my plan and see if you can find joy without killing?”

“You can’t weasel out of teaching me everything about this new world. I had a mini family reunion. It sucked. And now the element of surprise isn’t in my favor. The smart thing to do is retreat. With all your dark objects, no one’s gonna find us. Tyler will take charge of keeping Livvie-poo and Luke safe.”

Kai went to get the urn of Traveler ashes, and then started carefully unplugging Vivianna from her monitors. He put his hand on hers, and siphoned just a bit before saying, “Invisique,” and granting them a secret escape.

Chapter Text

Kai was understandably upset.

Not because he was living with Vivianna in a small shack in the middle of nowhere. That was fine. He was used to being alone, and despite there being more people to talk to, he felt a lot more comfortable with just her, unless they absolutely had to go to the store.

He’d taken her from the hospital, gone to fetch supplies, and had then driven up to the mountains where there was a tiny cottage away from the city. Vivianna had placed the dark objects around it to keep anyone from getting close, and she’d had Kai disable his location on all his new applications so that they couldn’t be tracked. 

They had enough food for a week, a mountain of books (all of which Kai had stolen despite Vivianna’s insistence that they ought to pay for them), some board games, and enough clothes and laundry detergent to keep them comfortable.

“We should have stolen a washing machine,” said Kai while eating a bag of pork rinds he’d swiped from the grocery store.

“We can wash them by hand,” said Vivianna. “We have a good tub and a place to set them to dry. We could even use magic for that. We need to lay low. As few trips to the store as possible. They’re going to be looking for us. They have my blood, and if they’re willing to combine their strength, Bonnie and your siblings might narrow down where we are. You need to get to learning as much as you can.”

What pissed Kai off the most was finding out all the things he’d missed out on. He had been frantically writing notes as Vivianna ran through a few major historical events, including presidents and of course, 9/11 so that he’d know what to expect if they ended up flying anywhere sometime soon. 

The celebrity deaths seemed to have taken the greatest toll on him. Vivianna had been worried that he’d kill her when she started running through the list of famous people who’d died since 1994, that she thought he might know. It turns out, many of them felt personal to him.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me,” said Kai, looking as though someone had just ripped out his heart. “I missed the deaths of—” he started to count on his fingers, “Bob Ross, Selena, Gene Kelly, Princess Diana, Mr. Rogers, Pat Morita— Pat fucking Morita, seriously? The Karate Kid is literally where I got my Twitter username from— Steve Irwin, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Patrick Swayze?” He held up ten fingers. “And that’s only the ones you can remember right now? Do you have any good news for me? Who isn’t dead?”

“A lot of people. Ralph Macchio is still around. Demi Moore. Steve Irwin’s kids and his wife. As soon as you start listening to music from this time period, the pain will be lessened.”

“You don’t know what it’s like, knowing someone you cherished died.”

Vivianna stared at him. “I lived through those deaths, you know? I wasn’t as much of a fanatic as you, but my mom cried for hours when Selena and Princess Diana died. A lot of people took it personally, and I had to witness that.”

“But you don’t get it, Vivi, you don’t know how it feels to lose someone who gave you such great music and movies. ‘Cause you weren’t directly the fan.”

“No, maybe I don’t get that, Malachai. However, I do know what it’s like to lose someone. The four people who mattered most to me in the entire world are dead. So forgive me if I don’t understand how heartbroken you are that some celebrities died. It’s sad, yes. But you move on.”

Kai had honestly forgotten that she’d actually felt loss much stronger than what they were discussing. He’d pursed his lips to keep from saying anything else. He didn’t understand her grief. This reaction of his was mostly anger and disappointment that he wasn’t finding out until much later, all because he’d been trapped in a prison world. It wasn’t like these deaths actually made him sad. He couldn’t feel sadness.

“Okay,” he said, realizing the situation was now quite tense. “Well, how are we gonna watch movies? Did you figure out how to use that laptop I stole?”

Vivianna nodded. “It was tricky getting an internet connection, but I think I managed it. We can start watching any movie you want. Or you could get started on that mountain of books.”

“I’d rather read while you’re asleep,” said Kai. “You talk too much. I need complete silence when I read, or I’ll snap at you, and I don’t want to do that.”

Vivianna just shrugged. “Alright, well, do you want to choose a movie, then? You did steal some popcorn. I can make that, and we can see if this laptop does its job.”

“How about Dirty Dancing?”

She blinked. “Is that… porn?”

He started to laugh. “Don’t tell me you haven’t seen Dirty Dancing before.”

“I don’t think I have. What is that?”

“It’s a super cheesy movie but Patrick Swayze’s in it. I want to watch it. Then after that, we can watch either Ghost or The Karate Kid.”

Dirty Dancing was not what Vivianna expected at all, but at least it helped Kai cool down a bit. She found the movie rather ridiculous, even more so when it ended, as Kai had suggested they try the lift from the dance at the end of the film.

“I’m not a dancer,” she said. “I told you, my previous host body had the build for it, but not me.”

“Come on, are you scared I’ll drop you? You’re healed with vampire blood, you’ll be fine.”

She was skeptical, but he’d been so insistent, they’d tried it. She’d ran toward him, and jumped at the last second. Immediately, she’d let out a scream, because he’d actually managed to lift her up, and the ground was suddenly very far away. 

“Vivi, goddamnit, lift your arms!” he said, when she’d gripped his shoulders and nearly toppled onto her head. She’d done so immediately, which had thrown her off balance. He only just caught her before she fell, causing them both to sink to the ground.

“Fuck you,” he groaned, massaging his chest. “Who the hell told you to slam your elbows into my chest?”

“I didn’t want to do the lift in the first place,” she said, trying to get back to her feet. “That’ll teach you to try and get me to dance without practicing. Can we watch another movie? Preferably one without dancing?”

“Well, we watched one that I picked. As much as I hate saying this, ‘cause I have no clue what your taste in movies is, you gotta pick one now.”

“Let’s watch Titanic. That one, you won’t know of. It was from 1997. Julian babysat me that day when my dad took my mom to watch it in theaters. She came back sobbing, and my dad wouldn’t stop rolling his eyes, saying it wasn’t that serious. Then, I watched it, and I cried too, the first time. After that, I just skipped to the part where everyone dies.”

“This sounds like my kind of movie,” said Kai enthusiastically. “Go and make more popcorn.”

“No, you make it, I have to find the movie.”

“But I don’t want to make the popcorn.”

“Then you’re gonna starve, ‘cause I’m not your servant.”

“If I kiss you, will you make the popcorn?”

She stared at him, bewildered. “Obviously not. If I wanted a kiss as payment, I would have asked for one.”

“So… you don’t want to kiss me? Not even after I managed to lift you into the air?”

She didn’t face him. “Just go make the popcorn.”

“Let’s kiss. We’re here in the real world. No one's gonna bother us.”

“No, because then you’re gonna expect it to lead to something else.”

“It doesn’t have to lead to that. It can just be kissing. That’s perfectly fun, too. Kiss me, Vivi. I know you want to.”

“What I’m feeling for you… you can’t feel back. I don’t know how I feel about kissing someone who doesn’t mean it.”

“Woah, no one said I wouldn’t mean it. I can’t love you, but I can like you. And I do. I can feel attraction and lust and I can want to kiss you. That wouldn’t be fake. Besides, aren’t you hell-bent on taking away my sociopathic side? Soon enough, I’ll be able to feel everything you feel. I wanna kiss you, Vivi.”

She shook her head. “Not a good idea. We’re gonna be here for a good few weeks, at most. It could ruin things between us.”

“But it won’t.”

“Kai, you switch up in seconds depending on what I say. And me… I’m not exactly the most patient person, either. I want more out of this and right now I’m not gonna get more. Besides, even if it doesn’t lead to… sleeping together… the first time… it eventually will. And we’re not ready for the risks that come with that.”

“We have magic at our fingertips, Vivi. If there’s something you want to prevent, all you gotta do is flick one hand while you hold the necklace with the other.”

“Please… stop. Not yet. It doesn’t feel right.”

He closed his mouth immediately.

After watching Titanic (which Kai thoroughly enjoyed), they’d binge-watched several other films. Vivianna had tolerated a long string of questions that Kai had about each film, even though there were many she couldn’t exactly answer.

“Why did they make Rose such a selfish bitch?” asked Kai. “The two of them fit on that door.”

“Wow, now you want Jack to live?” asked Vivianna. “Just moments ago, you said that his death was the best part of the movie.”

“Well, I take it back, ‘cause the dude didn’t have to die. The two should’ve started swimming toward the lifeboats. Kept warm. Someone would have let them on and bundled them up.”

“I don’t think they wanted to swim like that. He knew if he climbed onto the door, it would sink. He was trying to save her life, and he did.”

“Well the boat already sank. The door might as well have sunk, too. Keep it consistent.”

“I find comfort in knowing that you ever end up in a situation like that, then you’re going to react much differently than he did. I hope I’m never in that situation with you, ‘cause I’m gonna die.”

“Nah. I never said that. First of all, I would have dressed as a woman immediately to get put on one of the boats. I’m talking poofy dress, a wig, fake tits, and a high-pitched voice to match. Secondly, I wouldn’t have let you jump off one of the lifeboats like Rose’s dumbass did. Even if it was to be with me. Gotta think for yourself in situations like that. Besides, if anyone told me I couldn’t get on one of the boats ‘cause I was a dude, I’d kill them. Equality. Everyone for themselves.”

“That’s not how that works.”

“How would you have done it, then?”

“Saved every single kid on that boat instead of any of the adults. They’d already lived. I would have gone down to save as many people as I could even from the lower classes. And to begin with, I would have added as many lifeboats as possible— who cares if it makes the deck look shitty. They were too confident in that massive boat. Like, really, this shit is so big and you don’t think something might go wrong?”

“Wow. You really do wanna be a mom.”

“I’m not entirely sure about that yet.”

“I dunno, Vivi, wanting to save all the kids sounds like a mom move to me. What’s that new term you taught me? Ah yes, MILF. You’re gonna be a MILF.”

Vivianna rolled her eyes. “Don’t say that.”

Kai smirked. “What? You’re gonna be a MILF, accept that.”

“I’m never teaching you new terms again.”

“Is there a term like that for dads? It should be DILF right?”

“Stop talking.”

“I’m gonna be a DILF.”

“Do you even want kids?”

“I don’t know. I wanted one to break the curse. But you brought up a bunch of reasons why that’s not good motivation to have a kid. I might be a shitty dad and I don’t want that. However, if I could be a good dad, then why not have a kid or two? Would be nice to rub it in my dad’s face that my kids would actually have a good relationship with me.”

“There’s just so much to consider. Less freedom. More commitment. Having to teach them a lot of stuff. Sounds fun and all, basically getting to build your own little human from scratch. Thing is, I would want to be the best mom possible and I’m inevitably gonna make mistakes, so that scares me. I’d rather not ruin a kid’s life. Plus, there’s so much that can happen with pregnancy. My vagina could turn blue.”

“That’s the thing about magical pregnancies, Vivi. You’ve got the means to make them perfectly easy. Textbook easy. You feel pain? Take it away. Something’s wrong with the kid? Talk to a doctor then fix it yourself. You’re feeling woozy? Sure is nice to have knowledge of herbs to get back in shape.”

“But Travelers don’t use herbs. I don’t know any of that.”

“Well, you’ll have to learn it, for when you do Traditional Magic. Next it’s gonna be my turn to teach you all that. Though, you’re not gonna have a hard time for it, I already know that. You figured out the fucking spell to get us out of the Prison World. If I give you a grimoire, you’d learn everything without my help. Then you’d be ready to become a MILF.”

“Why do you want me to be a MILF?”

He shrugged. “Let your imagination run wild. I just know you’re gonna age really well. If you look sixteen when you’re twenty-two, imagine how you’ll look when you’re forty?”

“Which is how old you’re supposed to be. I wonder how old you’d look at forty.”

“I’m gonna be hot, Vivi, I already know that. Probably with more facial hair. Still a complete DILF.”

“Oh my god, stop using those terms.”

“What, you don’t want to think of me as a DILF?”

“No.”

“If I become nice, would you want to have kids with me?”

“I don’t know.”

He looked pleased to hear this. “Well, ‘I don’t know’ isn’t ‘no,’ so I’ll consider that a victory.”

Vivianna made a face. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And you’re gonna be a MILF.”

They’d watched several more movies before they’d decided it was time to turn in for the night. They were very exhausted,  and had fallen asleep on top of the sheets of the only bed in the cabin. Thankfully, they were at the point where they didn’t mind sharing a bed. Unfortunately for the both of them, it just meant there was temptation. And Vivianna had more than she cared to admit.

Granted that it was summer, both had felt rather hot. Vivianna had elected to suffer with a t-shirt and pajama pants. Kai, on the other hand, had removed his shirt the instant she fell asleep, having every intention to put it back on before she woke up so she wouldn’t be weirded out.

She’d woken up before him, since she’d had to use the bathroom. She’d reached out instinctively, just to make sure that he was still there, and had felt her palm collide with skin. She sat up, and quickly withdrew it when she realized she’d been touching his bare chest.

He was snoring lightly, one of his arms tucked behind his head, the other draped over his navel. He looked so peaceful there, and Vivianna couldn’t help but trace her eyes down his body. She forced herself to stop, and got up to use the bathroom.

She’d ended up sitting there for quite awhile, covering her eyes and trying to think of anything other than the dirty thoughts swimming into her mind. She could hear his voice ringing in her ears, teasingly saying just about everything under the sun that could make a person’s stomach do flips. She’d washed her face with cold water before re-emerging, only to find he’d already put his shirt back on. 

“Thought you wouldn’t wake up this early,” he muttered, seeing that it was four in the morning.

“Had to pee,” she said, climbing back into the bed. “If you want to sleep shirtless, you should. There isn’t really much of an issue with men doing that. With women, it’s like an instant riot if any of them remove their shirts.”

“Well if you can’t sleep shirtless then I probably shouldn’t.”

“I could, it’s just…” she put her hand over her abdomen. “It’s actually gone now. My scar from the mugging. It reopened when I was bleeding out, and the vampire blood got rid of it. Still… I got really used to always covering it. I felt uncomfortable with people asking questions about it.”

Kai frowned. “You don’t have to be ashamed of your scars. Don’t people say that it shows what you’ve been through? The battles you’ve won or some shit like that?”

“Yeah, they say that, but then they stare like idiots when you’re open about it. Any flaw… they say it’s okay to be yourself, to be proud of your body. But the criticism never stops. It’s not even just that, it’s… body hair, stretch marks, all the things people nitpick. My hair comes out dark, and I hate it. My mom told me I should be proud of it, but whenever anyone… especially guys… saw it on me, they’d call me a monkey.”

Kai gritted his teeth. “Just tell me who said that and I’ll shove a knife down their throat.”

“It doesn’t matter. Those people have long since been out of my life. You… don’t need to feel like you have to hurt everyone who hurt me.”

“Are you hearing yourself, Vivi? All these things they said to you in the past… it still affects you. They created these insecurities that you focus on instead of looking in the mirror and realizing that you’re fucking beautiful because of all that. The unique-ness. I hated being told that I was unworthy just ‘cause I was different. So screw them. Screw everyone who looks at us and tells us shit. They’re the ones that have things wrong with them. My dad, he thinks he’s all high and mighty ‘cause he has magic on command. I once heard him and my mom talking. People were surprised he won the Merge, and not my uncle. He wasn’t even competent. It was luck. So yeah, Vivi, I do feel like I wanna hurt the people who hurt you. ‘Cause I sure as hell wanna hurt the people who hurt me. You’re the only one who’s ever really given a shit about me. You’re the only one who matters to me. Which means that I’m avenging you and I’m avenging myself. If anyone ever makes you feel like that again, I’ll make sure—”

Vivianna seized the back of his neck, and pulled him closer, pressing her lips against his. Kai immediately brought his hand up, grabbing onto her face and tilting her chin up. She was startled when she felt his tongue pressing on her lips.

“Let me guess,” he said in a low voice when she pulled away. “You’ve never French-kissed before.”

“Hardly kissed to begin with,” she said shyly. “It was just one quick peck when I was a teenager. Just to say I did it. Doesn’t really count.”

“What happened to not wanting to kiss?”

“Screw whatever I said earlier, Malachai, it felt right. We just— we can’t do more than kissing. Please?”

“Whatever you say, Vivi.” He dipped down to kiss her again, looping his other hand around her waist to press her body up against his.

Vivianna’s mood was much better the next morning. She felt a sort of freedom with her impulsivity. She got it out of the way. She liked him, he knew that. And he was right. Eventually, he’d be able to feel more deeply for her. It would take time, but it would eventually happen. That’s what she was looking forward to.

The days they spent there had been mostly the same. In the mornings, she’d go back to sleep after breakfast so that he could read. In the afternoons, they’d work on planning for the two major spells they needed to perform in order to break their curses. In the evenings, Kai would go to sleep early, and Vivianna would stay up making shopping lists and planning new things that he needed to learn. 

On weekends, they’d ignore the schedule and just clean and watch as many movies as they could. One particular week had been spent abiding by the usual weekend schedule, since Vivianna had been feeling too unwell to work on spells. Kai was perfectly fine with that. He preferred watching movies to reading books anyway. 

Besides, what mattered most to him was squeezing time in to make out every day. Kissing was more than enough. He didn’t feel like he needed more, especially if she wasn’t ready. It was already better than anything he’d had in the past, because he knew for certain that Vivianna cared about him. That alone made it more meaningful. 

He enjoyed the way she tugged at his hair. How she’d kiss his cheek afterward to indicate that she didn’t want any more. How she’d run her hands down his bare back, gently massaging. Sometimes her nails would dig in a bit once she started to breathe more heavily. And then, she’d press her palm over his heart, feeling it beating faster and faster as she kissed his neck. He’d long since been starved of touch, and she was more than happy to make up for it. 

“We’ve been here for four weeks already,” she said one night. “It’s already July. I think, if we’re gonna do this spell… we should do it soon. Your magic is starting to deplete at a faster rate. We could start with mine first, so that I can do Spirit Magic. And then, we could re-establish the Connective Magic spell so that I can channel you and your entire bloodline while I use the dark objects to break the Gemini Curse.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” he said, making a ‘time-out’ gesture with his hands. “Did you just say ‘re-establish the Connective Magic spell?’”

“Yes.”

“Uh, no. We’re not doing that. It almost killed you last time.”

“Yeah, but it’s because I can’t handle Spirit Magic. If we do it after the spell that breaks my curse, it should be fine.”

“Vivi, don’t be stupid. We don’t even know if I can do that spell properly. I know I’m strong, but I’m not sure if I’m thatstrong.”

“It’s just me! I’m the only Traveler you’re doing this spell for! It shouldn’t be that difficult. We don’t know the side effects, but it should be fine. I should still be able to use the dark objects, no problem. I should still be able to function normally. It’s not like breaking my curse is gonna turn me into an alien.”

He’d cut her off with a kiss. “Malachai,” she said, pushing him off. “I’m trying to talk.”

Kai made a face. “I don’t want to hear you talk. I don’t like your idea. I’m not gonna risk it again.”

“But—”

He pecked her lips. “No buts. If there’s anything I hate, it’s when people try to argue with me when I know I’m right.”

“But—”

“Vivi,” he groaned, kissing her harder. “Stop being reckless. That’s my job. I’m supposed to be the one that’s down for murder and stupidity, not you. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You wouldn’t be hurting me, Malachai. I trust you.”

He faltered slightly. “You trust me?”

“Yes.”

“No one’s ever said that to me before.”

“Well, now you’re hearing it from me. I trust you. I trust you’ll do the spell right.”

He was at a temporary loss for words. “Vivi… it doesn’t matter if you trust me. I don’t trust myself. I like you right now, and I want to protect you, but I get mad at you every damn day about something. Yesterday it was because you didn’t push in your chair. The day before, ‘cause you left your hair dryer plugged in.”

“Malachai, I can deal with a few outbursts, okay? It’s not like you can really control that. It won’t happen anymore once I take away the sociopathy.”

“Maybe you should do that first. It’s just safer. Make sure I can fully care about you before you trust me completely with this spell.”

“It’s statements like that that make me know I can trust you to do my spell first.”

“Well, I’m saying no. Either do the spell on me first or I’m not doing anything. I won’t put you at risk. It’s too dangerous. The last thing I need is for something to happen to you. If I end up being responsible, I won’t survive it. I’ll go insane.”

Vivianna sighed. “Alright then. Let’s do your spell first. Just on you. Not on the whole Coven.”

“I know. Even with all the ashes, it isn’t enough. You’d need the Spirit Magic too.” He tucked his hand behind her neck. “It’s okay, Vivi. Just do it. I’m not scared."

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Vivianna asked. “I’m taking away… basically everything you’ve ever known. That sociopathy… I’m rewiring the emotional parts of your brain. It’s all gonna come crashing down onto you. You like the way you are, Malachai. I’d be altering you.”

“Being the way I am has been nice. Not caring has been nice. But that’s because I didn’t have someone I wanted to care about. My family didn’t deserve a version of me that was nice. You do. You deserve someone who can love you back. I don’t know what love feels like... and I want to know.”

Kai put his hands in hers. “Just do it. Take away the sociopathy. I’m ready.”

Chapter Text

Kai was obviously nervous.

It wasn’t that he doubted Vivianna’s skills. He knew that she had the spell down. 

But she was right. This was going to change absolutely everything about him. Many times, he’d found himself desperately hoping that one day, he’d wake up and be ‘normal.’ Maybe then his family would have loved him and respected him. Maybe then they would have included him in every event, and not just the ones where they knew he couldn’t do anything, at the risk of retaliation from other people.

He watched as Vivianna arranged barely a handful of Traveler ashes on the table in front of them, making a few runes with them, likely symbols from the sort of magic that she used. She already had a knife ready for him to prick and give just a single drop of his blood. It was all that she could afford to use, aside from her dark objects. Anything else would be considered too elemental, and the Spirits might block her.

He could see her face was scrunched up in concentration as she looked over her spell, making the final checks. It should be rather simple, considering it was applying to him and only him. 

Still, he could see that she had doubt in herself. Or perhaps it was just uncertainty of the outcome. Maybe she thought Kai would grow sick of her now that he had the ability to feel other things. Maybe she figured he’d have feelings for someone else. Someone from his past.

Kai knew that wouldn’t be possible. If he was going to have feelings for everyone, it would be for Vivianna. After all, anyone he knew from his youth was either dead, older, or just not interesting enough to keep up with.

“You’re looking more anxious than me,” he commented. “Do you really have that many worries about the spell? Not sure I want you poking around my brain if you keep frowning at that page.”

“I’ve never done a spell like this alone before,” Vivianna admitted. “Any major spell would have required the help of another Traveler. I have their ashes, but… will it be enough?”

“Should be. They didn’t get roasted to bits for you to doubt their ashes, you know.”

“Well, yeah, but… what if there was something I needed to do first? What if too much time already passed and the magic is lessened? With my parents… Julian and I cremated them right away. Split up the ashes for our pendants so that we could have something to channel. Tiny bits of the ash disappear with each spell. I started with an amount that needed to be altered magically to fit in the pendant. Now… I barely have anything left. What if this magic didn’t get captured in time?”

“Vivi, if you keep talking, I’m gonna back out of this. So just do it.”

She nodded, and took his hand, before bringing the knife to his finger. She cut in just a bit, and turned his hand around to drip the blood onto the small clump of Ashes. She moved one of the dark objects on top of the blood and ashes, then placed her palm on that, before pressing the other to Kai’s forehead. 

“Mysl říká temnota uzdravila,” she whispered, sliding her hand down to close his eyes.

She took just her pointer finger, and traced a circle on his chin. “Změna hlava sejmout tma.”

She removed her hand and lifted the dark object, gathering some of the ash and blood before making an ‘X’ between his eyebrows. “Dovolit emoce, vyléčit sociopatie.”

“Zlom rozum duch zlého odstranit,” she said a bit louder, pressing her fingertips onto his forehead once more. “Hojit se cit pohnutí.”

He started to tremble as she strung the words together, holding the dark object tightly as she felt it rattling beneath her. “Mysl říká temnota uzdravila. Změna hlava sejmout tma. Dovolit emoce, vyléčit sociopatie. Zlom rozum duch zlého odstranit. Hojit se cit pohnutí.”

He let out an anguished yell, his hands flying up to hold either side of his head as the dark object let out a sound that apparently, only he could hear. “TELL IT TO BE QUIET!” he roared angrily. “IT’S TOO LOUD!”

Then, suddenly, the sound seemed to have stopped, because he looked up, and was confused. There was an immediate change in his demeanor. It was as though his usual cold expression had truly melted away. His eyes were less icy-blue than before. He was looking at Vivianna as if he’d never seen her before, but at the same time, knew everything about her. A familiarity, yet disconnection that made it clear that he didn’t know what to say to her.

“Take a deep breath,” she said quietly. “How do you feel?”

He started to bawl.

Apparently, the temper was still there.

“I feel like shit!” he said, swiping his hand out and tossing the dark object and the clump of ashes to the ground. He got to his feet and kicked the table, sending it flying into the couch. “Why the hell did I do that?”

“The emotions are overwhelming you,” she said, holding her hands up in surrender. “Kai...”

“STOP TALKING!” he said, turning away and grabbing onto his head again. “It’s so loud. I can’t think— I don’t want to think—” his body shook the more he cried. “No… what the fuck is the matter with me… how could I… I fucking killed them.”

“That guilt is going to try and overtake you,” she said, coming up to stand behind him. “Don’t let it. You didn’t have the emotional capacity back then to stop yourself. Yes, it was wrong. Accept that. Accept what you did. But do not let it break you. Because this that you’re feeling? Remorse. If you were truly a bad person, you wouldn’t feel it. The sociopathy is gone. You’re able to feel everything now.”

“I killed them,” he said again, sinking down. “I killed them. I fucking killed them— my own siblings. I— I held them when they were born. I taught them to tie their shoes. They didn’t… they didn’t deserve that… I had fun… I had fun killing them… I’m a fucking monster.”

“No you’re not, Kai. I—”

“Don’t call me that! I don’t like when you call me that.”

“Okay… Malachai. What are you feeling? Talk to me.”

“Malachai is supposed to mean ‘angel’ or some shit like that,” he said, starting to hyperventilate as she moved to sit in front of him. “I hated it. I thought it was bullshit. I thought it sounded evil. Whole time… I was the devil. I ruined my entire family. They didn’t deserve that. I don’t want you to call me Kai. You saw me as good when they didn’t… so you have to call me Malachai… or I can’t… I can’t handle.”

“Focus on me,” she said, waving her hand carefully in front of his face. “Look at me. Sync up with me. Breathe when I breathe.”

“My eyes are on fucking fire!” he said, lifting his shirt to try and dry them. “Why the hell does crying feel so shitty? Isn’t this supposed to make you feel better?”

“Well, it doesn’t always feel better right away, especially not when you’re feeling so many things at once. Come on.” She slowly slid her hand into his, pressing their wrists together so that they could feel one another’s heartbeats. “Breathe in when I do, okay, Malachai? In—”

He tried to imitate, but shuddered, and shook his head.

“It’s okay,” she said. “Take your time. Whenever you’re ready. I’m gonna keep breathing and counting and you can join in once you feel up for it.”

She started to take several slow, deep breaths, letting him know when she was inhaling and exhaling. He had his eyes shut tightly, and he kept shaking his head, but eventually, he started following along, until his breaths were perfectly matched with hers.

“Good,” she said. “You did really, really good. I think what you need now is some food in your system. What do you say I get you a snack— pork rinds and some salsa. While I get started on making you some guacamole and tacos, like that time we cooked together, remember?”

“I don’t deserve food,” he said miserably, turning away from her. “I should starve.”

“Everyone deserves food, you know. No matter what they’ve done. I killed twenty-nine people. Do you think I should starve?”

“Well, no, but you’re good…”

“Do you want to be good?”

“I… guess yeah.”

“Then you need food to get to the point where you feel better about yourself. Come on. I can put on some music if you want, and you can sit on the couch and let a few more feelings out while I cook. Or you can sit on the kitchen counter if you want to stay close to me. Whatever you need. If you think you need space or proximity…”

“Space,” he muttered, holding out his hand. She got to her feet first, then pulled him up, leading him to the couch. He sat down, and she helped him lay back onto one of the pillows with his legs up.

“I want you to try something,” she said, brushing her hand through his hair. “Hold your own hands. Massage them a little bit. Close your eyes. Take a few more deep breaths. Then slowly start to think through all the happy memories you can, okay? All the happy memories you can now appreciate, that you couldn’t before.”

“But I ruined all the happy memories,” he said. “I killed my siblings. I fucking killed them. I’m a murderer. I tore my own family apart. I don’t deserve to be happy. I should just suffer. I should die. Maybe my dad had the right idea, sending me to a prison world.”

“No,” she said firmly. “No, he didn’t have the right idea. Because when you’re with someone who has different needs than everyone else, you support them, and you work to understand how to help them. You don’t neglect them and compare them to other people and make them feel abnormal. He never should have punished you like that. 

“Even with your sociopathy, you saved my life multiple times, even when you didn’t have to. You kept me company when I thought I was gonna lose my mind. You accepted me even though my people are the mortal enemies of yours. You have made me feel more comfortable than I’ve ever felt anywhere in my life, just in the short weeks we’ve been in this little cabin. 

“Not to mention you’re a great cook, an even better movie partner, you’re brilliant and handsome and you’ve been respectful of my boundaries even though you didn’t want to be. Even though deep down, every part of you was yelling at you to hurt me, you forced it down because that’s how much I mattered to you. A bad person wouldn’t be capable of that. A bad person would have killed me ages ago. A bad person would have succumbed to every cruel desire. 

“You didn’t, because somehow, we managed to forge a connection. And now that you’re free of that sociopathy, you’re remembering every bad thing you ever did. You couldn’t control doing those things. You wanted to be good but you didn’t have the emotional capacity for it. Now you do. This is the part where you focus on the future and being the man you want to be, instead of letting the past hold you back and dictate who you are. You’re not and have never been what your father claims you to be.”

He’d been crying as she spoke, and neither had really noticed it. He was looking up at her, and he looked so distraught, so torn. She imagined he felt horrible. His entire life had fallen apart in a single moment, forcing him to face the reality of the things he’d done. The things a non-sociopathic him would never have let happen. 

“Just relax,” Vivianna said more soothingly. “I’ll bring the pork rinds and make you some food, and then, we can stay up all night and talk about it, if you want. I’m not gonna judge you. It’s not my place to. If there’s anything you want to do after that, we will do it, no matter what it is. I want to help you feel better and I’ll do anything to make sure you’re comfortable like this.”

“Okay, Vivianna,” he said quietly. “Sorry… I always called you by a name you didn’t even like.”

She smiled a bit. “You can keep calling me ‘Vivi.’ I’ve grown to like it.”

His lips twitched a bit. “Alright... Vivi. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Just sit tight, I’ll be right back.”

She was worried about him, of course. She kept peeking over as she made the guacamole, seeing that he had turned on his side, and was crying while holding the pillow, his other hand alternating from going into the bag of pork rinds to popping one in his mouth. 

He’d devoured the food that she made him, and had clearly still been hungry after that, so she’d gotten to making them some cupcakes. At that point, he’d stopped crying, but he’d zoned out, staring at the wall.

Vivianna was worried she’d done more harm than good.

“Hey,” she said, bringing the tray of cupcakes over as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Want to talk about it now?”

“How the hell does this feeling ever go away?” he asked miserably. “We’re not vampires, we can’t turn our humanity off.”

“We can’t, no. But there are different things people do in order to heal. They talk to therapists, who are licensed in this and know some processes that will help them work through their pain. I had to go to a therapist a few times, and one of the things she had me do was write letters to the people I hurt. I would pour out everything I could, and then, I’d read it to myself, come to terms with it, accept that there was nothing I could do to change the past, and then I’d burn it, and release my feelings into the wind. It would still bother me sometimes, but I conditioned myself to think that the people I hurt actually heard me reading those letters. And I hoped that some part of them forgave me, even just a little bit.”

“Okay,” said Kai. “I want to try that. I want to write letters and burn them.”

Vivianna had gone to fetch him a notepad and several pens, and he’d gotten to writing immediately. He’d spent about two hours just jotting notes away, all while taking bites from the cupcakes he wanted to eat. Vivianna had remained silent beside him, not looking over his shoulder. She’d been reading for a bit, taking advantage of the quiet.

“Done,” he said, once he’d written nine letters. “Can I read them to you?”

She hadn’t been expecting that. “Yeah, sure. Want me to prepare a spot to burn them as soon as you’re done?”

“Yeah… please.”

She went outside briefly to gather some firewood, then came back in, holding onto her necklace and lighting a small fire right in the chimney. 

“I started with my brother Joey,” said Kai. “Well… his name is Joseph. I gave all of them nicknames to annoy them. But I wrote the letters with their real names.” He cleared his throat. 

“Dear Joseph, 

Aside from Jo, you were closest to me. I was three when you were born, and I don’t really remember it. I recall being annoyed that you wouldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t control it. It bothered me a lot. But I was really small, so I couldn’t do anything. Eventually, you were old enough to play soccer with me, and it was fun. Then, Mom and Dad got you that video game console for your birthday, and you let me play with it even though they said we weren’t supposed to play together ‘cause I might siphon from you. I never thanked you for that. 

Still, you pissed me off a lot, too. When you were old enough to really understand how different we were, you stopped talking to me. Not long before that, I’d finally beaten you in Mario Kart, and I’d been really proud. That’s where I got the idea to beat you to death. I couldn’t control it. I wanted to remember all the good things you did, but instead, I just felt bitter. I hated you. And now, I see the image in my head, of the day I beat you, then shoved your head into the pull… drowned you to finish you off.

I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop myself from doing it. In my mind, it didn’t make sense to let you live. But I think about it in hindsight, but it was so cruel. I joked that you should be grateful that I saved you for last. I joked that it was my favorite kill. Really, I just killed the brother who was like my best friend for so long. And I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for that. Because now that I’m finishing this letter, I remember the time you stopped Dad from hitting me. I’m sorry Joey. I really, really am.”

Vivianna nodded to Kai as he gestured toward the fire. He crumpled the letter up, and tossed it in. As it burned, he started to cry again, but quickly blinked the tears away. 

“Dear Michael,

You and I didn’t have much in common. You were still a teenager when I killed you. I was jealous that you’d gotten your first car at that age, as a present from Mom and Dad for your sixteenth birthday. With you, I felt so much more resentment. There was a long time, before the twins were born, that you were their favorite son. You were the magical prodigy. You had the best grades aside from me, but since I was me, they gave the honor to you.

When I hung you off the stairwell next to Mer, I had the evil thought to hit you with the bat I was holding. Like a piñata. Old me would have laughed at that. New me wants to beat myself up for ever having thought that. I couldn’t help but hate you. And it led to your death when you had only just decided that you wanted to be an astronaut. That you were gonna be willing to go the astrophysics route even though even our parents doubted that you could manage it. I’m sorry, Mikey. I’m sorry for being such a dick to you and for not being a better brother. I made you suffer a lot before you died. I can’t forgive myself for what I did to you, either.”

He burned that one, too, before moving on.

“Dear Meredith,

I don’t even know what to say to you. You and Mikey were always closest. We honestly never bonded much. But I do remember the time Jo burned your hair before your middle school dance, and you were crying, and you came to me to ask if I could fix it. Somehow, I managed to curl your hair even though I was really mad that you wouldn’t sit still. And you were happy. Happy that your big brother helped you feel like a princess.

When I hung you, I didn’t feel much. I didn’t think of what I was taking from you. You were still on the fence about being a veterinarian or an actress. I teased you, saying both were pretty stupid. And now, I wish I had let you live. You never actually mistreated me. You didn’t understand it. You were still developing your own opinions, so you didn’t know whether to listen to what our parents would say, or rely on the limited memories you had with me. I ruined your life and if you by any chance hear me reading this, then I’m gonna say it’s okay for you to never forgive me. I just need you to know that I am sorry.”

He was starting to cry more and more. His voice kept cracking, and there had been moments when he had to pause. Still, he kept burning and reading, because he wasn’t even halfway done. 

“Dear Jessica,” it sounded like he was full on sobbing now. “You were too young to actually understand why you were supposed to dislike me. And yet you went along with everything Mom and Dad told you to do. I hated you for that. Still, you were just a fucking kid. And I had no business gutting you until you collapsed in a pool of your own blood. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t overcome the anger. I’m sorry that I practically tore you to pieces without understanding that you were just repeating what you were hearing. You didn’t actually dislike me.”

“I can’t read the other ones,” he said after he tossed that one in the fire. “It’s too much.”

“That’s okay,” said Vivianna, gently rubbing his arm as he grabbed his mother’s letter and burned it without opening it. “If you want to burn the rest, it’s okay, too, unless you want to maybe read them another day.”

“I want to give these to them,” he said, holding up the letters for Jo, Liv, and Luke. “The one for my dad though…” he shoved it into the fireplace. “He doesn’t deserve it. I won’t fucking forgive him. My mom gets a pass because she’s fucking dead. Maybe she’s suffering in hell for how she treated me. But my dad… hell no. I might want a chance to have a better relationship with the siblings I have left. I just want nothing to do with him.”

“Do you feel a little bit better?” she asked as he dried his eyes with his shirt again.

“A little bit,” he said. “Kinda. I don’t know.”

“It’s gonna take time. You’re not gonna feel completely cleansed just after one day. I’m not gonna lie to you, you might even have nightmares. But I’m here for you, okay? I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.” 

They’d gone to bed earlier that night. She’d held onto him, rubbing his back with one hand and stroking his hair with the other one, humming lightly as a sort of lullaby. He’d woken up a few times, afraid and having relived the memories of each murder. She’d been there every time to calm him down, and had gotten up a few times to bring him some water. 

It took an entire week before he felt like he was ready to face the outside world.

“I want to deliver the letters in person,” Kai said, the morning of July 15. “So that they can see… the new me.”

“You’re sure you’re ready for that?” asked Vivianna, not to discourage him, but just to make sure he wasn’t getting too ahead of himself. “Do you think you’re emotionally ready to handle whatever may come from that interaction?” 

“Yeah… I narrowed it down to three possible scenarios for Jo, which is the one I’m most scared of. One, she doesn’t want to see me at all, and avoids the conversation entirely. She sees me but doesn’t believe me and doesn’t make an effort to read the letter until I’m anywhere but in front of her. Three, she sits down and reads it in front of me and asks me questions about it. She’ll see that I really have changed. The twins don’t exactly remember me from when we were younger so I’m not exactly concerned about them… I wrote a lot in their letters and I’m kinda hoping they can look past it and put in a good word with my dad so that he doesn’t try to kill me or anything. I really don’t want to talk to him, though, so…”

“That’s okay. Only do what you’re comfortable with. Atonement doesn’t mean you have to force yourself to go through a tense situation you’d rather not be in, alright?”

He nodded, pressing his hands together. “Yeah. Okay. Um… I don’t know what to do. Do we just hop in the car and drive to Whitmore and hope they’re there? Do we call first? Isn’t it supposed to be common courtesy to call before going?”

“I can try to contact someone who can get us a meeting with them, if you’d like. Jeremy kept the Traveler ashes for me, I might be able to get in touch with him.”

“Bonnie would be jealous if you popped into her boyfriend’s head to deliver a message.”

“Well, it’s not like he’s gonna see me, he’s just gonna hear my voice.”

“Maybe we should just fully go into town. See what there is to do for fun there. I don’t want Jeremy hearing your voice just randomly. It makes me jealous.”

“I never exactly had a conversation with Jeremy, I just saw him in passing. He doesn’t mean anything to me.”

“Good. ‘Cause you’re mine. And I’m yours. And no one gets to butt in.” He leaned closer. “Can I kiss you? It’s been so long since I kissed you. I wanna know what it feels like to kiss someone once you like them this much.”

Vivianna found herself trying to suppress a goofy smile. “Aw, you like me a lot?”

“Is this what it’s like to have a crush on someone? I’m with you everyday and it still doesn’t feel like enough, 'cause then I miss entire hours when you’re showering and then when you’re asleep and then when you're outside doing garden stuff for some reason. I wanna kiss you.”

“Then do it.”

Even though their first kiss had been relatively soft, this one was somehow softer. More meaningful. He didn’t kiss with the lustful hunger he’d displayed in the past. It was tender, almost shy, as if he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be doing with his mouth. His hands remained experienced, however, and he’d seized her waist before bringing her to his lap.

“Maybe we should just ditch my siblings for today,” muttered Kai, beginning to kiss harder only when she started it off for them. “Just stay here and make out all day.”

“I think you might have an asthma attack if you keep talking while you’re kissing me,” she mentioned, giggling when he started to run his hands over her sides. “It’s all up to you.”

“Then I say,” he told her, pulling away so he could breathe, “we spend the night here… I cook you dinner… and maybe, just maybe, see where things go. That sound good to you?”

Vivianna nodded. “Sounds good to me, Malachai.”

A/N: Happy 200 pages! Obviously this story is mostly gonna be very happy. Probably will still sprinkle in some angst, obviously. Anyway, comment for more!

Chapter Text

He’d gone all out.

He’d instructed her to find something fancy to wear. Vivianna wasn’t accustomed to dresses, solely because the scars on her body made it uncomfortable to be seen by anyone in an outfit that would reveal her legs. He’d been insistent that she had to find something other than pajamas, and she’d been made to go into town to find something for herself and for him while he cooked.

When she came back, it smelled like heaven inside the little cabin. Vivianna had been expecting maybe a singular large dish that looked like it had been made in a restaurant. Somehow, he’d ended up making them several different types of pasta, which made her suspect that he’d somehow gone into the laptop and found how many times she’d been searching Italian food recipes to no avail. 

“Ah, ah, ah,” Kai said, when she started making her way to the table. “Food’s still too hot to eat.”

“Are you kidding?” she said, handing him the dress shirt and pants he’d asked her to get for him. “I just hope for the best and continue to eat even if it burns my tongue.”

“I don’t want you burning your tongue this time, Vivi. It’s not gonna be as enjoyable. Go on. Put on your outfit, I’ll put on mine, and then I’ll meet you in the room, alright?”

Vivianna raised her brows, but said nothing more. 

She’d managed to find a romper with pants, which she’d thought had been a dress at first. It ended up being more comfortable than she had expected, and when she came out of the room, she found Kai waiting for her, his arm outstretched.

“I’m aware this is cheesy,” he said, leading her to the kitchen. “But I figured, now that I can feel what normal people do, I should probably rely on that at least once before I start coming up with my own incredibly brilliant ideas. I’ve never exactly tried to make a date this fancy, so I didn’t know what to do. I was considering dancing before we eat, but…” he shrugged, pulling a chair out for her, and then clapping his hands as she sat down. “So, we have meatballs and grilled chicken over here, marinara, alfredo, and creamy mushroom sauce, and your choice of either tagliatelle, bucatini, and ditalini pasta.”

“We’re not gonna finish all this food,” she said in disbelief, only just realizing how much he’d made. “I can’t eat all this.”

“Well, no one said you’d be eating alone,” said Kai, patting his chest. “Kind of offended that you don’t think I can eat what you don’t finish.”

“My concern was that we have no Tupperware to store all this. But it’s nice to know we’re gonna actually manage to devour all of this.”

She ended up serving herself some grilled chicken, a singular meatball, and the alfredo and creamy mushroom sauce together with ditalini and tagliatelle combined. Kai had loaded his plate with all three types of pasta and meatballs with marinara, but had kept a plate on the side for chicken with the other two types of sauce.

Vivianna wasn’t sure how they were going to have the energy to do anything after such a meal, but somehow, when they’d finished, Kai still wanted to eat more, and she found herself not as tired as she thought she’d be.

“I feel like I’m about to go into labor,” said Vivianna, holding her bloated belly. “I don’t think I can eat any more. Please don’t tell me you made dessert.”

Kai grinned. “You know, with all the pasta I was making, I didn’t remember dessert. I can make some later if you think you can manage it.”

“If I can manage it, I’ll make dessert later. In the meantime, we should relax or something. Maybe drink a little bit.”

As it turned out, he’d planned for that. Outside in the middle of the woods, he’d set out one of the blankets they didn’t use, along with a few pillows. They’d gone to lay down, able to see the stars very clearly. In the center, he’d left room for a bottle of wine and two cups (since glasses had seemed like a bad idea).

“I really hope you were okay with how simple it was,” he said a bit nervously once they’d laid down. 

“Are you kidding?” said Vivianna. “I enjoyed it because of the simplicity. I feel a little overwhelmed when there are a lot of things involved in a date. Not that I’ve been on many, but still, the idea of doing too much sounds frightening. This was perfect. Just the two of us and some really, really good food.”

“I’m thinking,” said Kai, putting his arm around her as she sipped from her cup, “maybe I should do college or something. Once we get out of here. I’m good at building stuff. And cooking. I bet they’d let me do a culinary and mechanical engineering program or something. I have the patience to be a student now. I won’t be snapping at the teachers.”

Vivianna snuggled up to him. “If that’s what you want to do, then I support you. I’m not really sure what I want to study. Never really pictured myself doing anything ‘cause I didn’t think I’d live that long.”

“You said you liked science. You mentioned being a nurse. Do you think you’d like that?”

“Yeah, I think I might. Not gonna leave me a lot of free time, but I think I might like it. Or I could be a pharmacist. I feel I could do well in that, too. A biology teacher. Who knows. I don’t know for sure. I imagined myself being a teacher before, just… not for any of that. I thought that I’d find myself teaching magic one day.”

“Magic? You’d want to be a magic teacher?”

“In the Traveler community, the most knowledgeable people were set to become teachers. They’d write manuals and stuff that would be passed along to help people learn spells. One of my paternal ancestors was a teacher, it’s why my parents had a whole booklet to teach Julian and I our spells. My mom used to say Julian and I would both be teachers. That we’d be educating the next generation of Travelers. Obviously, there won’t be a next generation. So there isn’t anyone to teach.”

“Traveler Magic can be done by other types of witches. I think it’s useful to learn. You do everything like a ritual. You rely on connections and you thrive off of them. Witches try so hard to go solo, they forget how important all those things are. Your dark objects… if you taught more witches to make them the way Travelers do, I think it could be really helpful.”

“If they’re even willing to learn. No witch likes the Travelers. They’re not gonna want to listen to me talk for hours on end.”

“Then don’t waste time teaching them. Teach me. I should know Traveler Magic. And then I can start to teach you about Traditional Magic.” He noticed she tensed a bit. “Unless you don’t want to learn that.”

“Is it wrong of me to want you to break the curse that keeps me this weak?” she asked quietly, sliding her hand around his abdomen. “I’m the last Traveler and I’m wanting to reject every part of me just to be like every other witch.”

Kai shook his head. “But you won’t be like every other witch. You know a completely different form of magic. It just means you can do magic that you couldn't before. I see it as an absolute win. You won’t have to rely on ashes anymore. Vivi… you’re strong, I know that, because you can fight and do magic. The thing is… ashes can only get you so far. If someone were to rip your necklace off, you wouldn’t be able to do anything. I’m gonna try my hardest to always be there to protect you. Let’s just be realistic… the Gemini Coven probably will still want to kill me. And one day I might not be here. So you need to be able to protect yourself.”

Vivianna drank more of her wine. “We should probably have that conversation. The Gemini Coven wants us both dead. And in the event that it happens, we need to have a plan. I haven’t checked if my bank account is still active, but it might be, so I’ll write that information down later. If I die… I want to be cremated and have my gravemarker in Los Angeles. It’s where I was born and it’s where my parents died. City of angels… kinda makes sense now that I know what ‘Malachai’ means. My ashes should be spread… just into the air from whatever cemetery you pick. My belongings, you can sell. Profit off of it.”

Kai sighed. “If I die, I don’t wanna be cremated, I want my body donated to science. If possible, my organs donated to someone who needs them. My gravemarker shouldn’t be anywhere near Portland. Maybe somewhere in New York, where we met. The marker should have a quote from The Karate Kid on it. I don’t exactly have any assets, so…”

Vivianna set her cup down, and made him set his down before kissing him gently. “We’re gonna find a way to get away from everyone for good, if that’s what you want. You’ll never have to worry about Portland coming back to haunt you again.”

“I can’t forget any of it, Vivi,” Kai muttered. “I can’t forget how awful I was. I was a monster. I killed my siblings. I don’t feel like I deserve happiness. Maybe Portland should haunt me. At least until I die and can suffer in Hell for anything I didn’t atone for properly.”

“You still deserve happiness, Kai,” she whispered. “You still deserve goodness and joy and tranquility and stability… the kind of affection you never had when you were younger. You couldn’t help but be born that way. That Traveler Curse ruined everything for you. I know you wouldn’t have hurt your siblings if you’d been born without your sociopathy. The siphoning might still have been a problem to your Coven, but that alone wouldn’t have made them label you as unworthy of being leader.”

“Let’s be realistic,” said Kai in a weak voice. “I wouldn’t have been a good leader anyway, Vivi.”

“But the Merge would have made you stronger. You would have absorbed Jo’s magic and become a witch while retaining your ability to siphon.”

“No, that’s not what I mean. I would have been killing my twin sister. When we were younger… when things were good… she was my best friend. And if I hadn’t been a sociopath, she would have still been my best friend. My partner in crime. I would still be a murderer. And chances are, I would have been judged for it. They would have said I only beat her, the lovely Josette, because I was a siphoner. A parasite.”

Vivianna looked over his face sadly, brushing her hand over his cheek. “No one deserves to be called a parasite. No one deserves to be shoved down just because they’re different. It’s exactly what the Travelers wanted when they cursed your Coven. They wanted the differences to tear you apart because it was the differences that started the schism in the first place. The point is, that that didn’t happen. It went a completely different way. 

“And when I have the power I need to break the curse on the Gemini Coven… I’ll be able to make sure no one ever has to Merge again. Because that’s not fair to anyone. Having to kill their own twin. I don’t know how past leaders have managed it. I think it makes a person… very bitter and just… broken. I don’t mean to play devil’s advocate, but just imagine what your dad felt. You said that people were surprised he was the one that won. He probably went into that Merge thinking he was going to die. He probably closed his eyes as it happened and was at peace with what he thought would happen. 

“And instead, he woke back up. He heard… what I assume was silence. Shock. The entire Gemini Coven staring at him in shock because his twin brother, the one everyone expected to be leader, was dead. Suddenly, all this responsibility fell on his shoulders. I bet he was made to read all these scriptures to prepare because he likely hadn’t paid much attention before. Because he thought he wouldn’t be the one dealing with all that.

“Somewhere along the way, someone whispered in his ear, and made him stick to what all your ancestors believed. That siphoners were bad. That guilt he already felt, being the one to carry along the legacy he thought his brother would… it probably ruined him. And he had to force himself to be the man everyone expected as leader. He forced it all down and it shattered every last bit of humanity he should have had. He put the Coven before his own needs and ended up repeating that vicious cycle with the family he and your mother made.

“I want to end that. I don’t want the Geminis to be forced into that ever again. Because maybe now, you don’t want to Merge with Jo. But your dad will want to make Liv and Luke do the Merge. And they don’t deserve that. The one who survives will become just as hateful as your father because they’ll have to live for the rest of their days knowing they killed their twin. 

“This is our chance to make everyone embrace something different. To see you, a siphoner, and me, a Traveler, liberate them from this curse. To free them from the bitterness and cruelty they’ve known for centuries. If we don’t do something, it’s only gonna keep happening. We might escape it. But the people in that Coven won’t. Because soon… really, really soon… once those two Merge… a new pair of twins will be born. Unsuspecting. Maybe also with the sociopathic siphoner curse that the Travelers left. And it’s all gonna happen again. We can’t let it.”

“How can you care so much?” asked Kai. “I feel like I understand the emotions now. And I understand empathy and all that. But Vivi… these people… they’ve slaughtered yours for so long. You’re literally the last one left and they’re all gonna be gunning for you if you make yourself known. You’ve never met them. You don’t have to care about them. But you do. And you want to help them.”

“Because it’s not about the people who are there right now,” she said. “It’s about the ones who haven’t been born. The next generation who is going to suffer because of their ancestors’ choices. The Traveler line ends with me. Even if I were to have a kid, there wouldn’t be enough magic for me to help them learn everything they need in order to keep our culture going. There wouldn’t be enough of a connection. There is no legacy for the Travelers. There isn’t anything that’s gonna be left, once I die. But there’s hope for the Gemini Coven. I couldn’t be at peace unless I knew that my life was used to fix something while I still had the chance. Because even if I’m gonna be the last Traveler, there are still so many unborn Geminis who are just gonna suffer if I don’t do something. I don’t think my death will break the curse on them. So I have to do an actual spell, or they’re gonna be doomed to Merge until the end of time.”

“Even with all my emotions,” he muttered, cupping her face, “I don’t deserve you, Vivi. Because I can care now, and despite that, I don’t see a reason to care about the people I will never have any interaction with. Maybe I can feel more than I could before. But I’m still selfish. The only way I can support you breaking this curse on the Gemini is if it won’t kill you. I need you in my life. I don’t care about future Geminis, I just care about you. Maybe my siblings, who might not even forgive me despite the fact anything I say to them will be sincere. You’re the only thing that matters to me. So… can you promise me that? That this spell won’t kill you?”

Viviann bit her lip. “I don’t know. I don’t even know how I have to do it. Most likely, I need to keep just my Traveler magic for this to be successful. But with that, I can only rely on ashes and dark objects. I don’t know if it’s enough to power a spell like that. It may kill me in the process. Or it might just not work. Plain and simple. I won’t know until I try.”

“There has to be another way,” he said. “We have to be able to get you more Traveler magic, to give you a bigger chance.”

“I need to know how I have to execute it first. I think that to reach the entire Gemini Coven, I’d need to do it on the current leader. Which, as far as we know, is your dad.”

“He wouldn’t want you to do that. The way the Gemini Coven functions would be changed permanently.”

“I know that. And I know that even then there’s no guarantee it’ll go well for everyone. The prison worlds are linked to the leader. The 1903 prison world still exists, Kai. If I mess up, I could make that world collapse, and it could kill the people inside of it. I think they deserve a chance at redemption, too.”

“Maybe we should learn more about the people in there before you worry about what’ll happen to them.”

“They were siphoners like you, before they became heretics. Chances are, they were shunned because they were sociopaths who could suck up magic. Not because they were part vampire. That must not have happened until after they were thrown out. Back in the day, that’s what the Gemini Coven used to do.”

“That’s probably why my dad didn’t kick me out,” said Kai slowly. “He had every chance to. I made him want to throw me out of the house. But he knew. He knew that if he threw me out, I’d be free, and I’d probably find out from someone else that I could become a heretic. And he probably knew I’d come back, fueled with magic and with an insatiable hunger… to slaughter everyone.”

She nodded slowly. “I think that’s why. I don’t know them, but I think maybe they should get a chance at true freedom. And the thing is, we can’t exactly free them until the Gemini Coven has been… more or less guided away from their sadistic ways. ‘Cause otherwise the heretics are just gonna be targets again.”

“Vivi,” said Kai a bit more sternly. “If you ever end up talking to anyone else about this plan of yours, you can’t mention wanting to free the heretics. My dad just might agree to breaking the Merge Curse. Maybe, if he really cared about saving Olivia and Lucas. But if he knew what you wanted to release into the world… he’d kill you without blinking.”

“I wouldn’t be dumb enough to tell him,” said Vivianna pointedly. “I may not have met your dad, but I know enough to keep my mouth shut in his presence.”

“Which I hope you never have to be in. These last few weeks, I’ve been… really happy. Even though I couldn’t feel happiness until recently. I wouldn’t know how to cope if that happiness was shattered. If he were to ruin things, just like he always has. I’ve tried so hard to forgive him, even a little, but I can’t. All my anger is still there and it’s all pointed toward him. I think of him and I just feel so fucking angry. I want to hurt him. That desire to maim hasn’t gone away. I would love nothing more than to rip him apart.”

“But you can’t lose control,” mentioned Vivianna. “Because now, the guilt can eat you alive. It will hurt you. Feeling that much emotion all at once almost shattered your mind when I broke the spell. We don’t know the side effects. It took away your sociopathy, but it still leaves you being impulsive. You could do something you’ll regret and you’d lose your sanity. It could take a deeper toll on you than it might for other people. It could drive you to harm yourself and I don’t want that for you. I know that the idea of revenge is really appearing, but… you have to think about how it’ll affect you. I know you’re strong, but this can leave you feeling worse than how you started out. I don’t want to see you in pain.”

Kai just stared at her for a moment. “I’ve never had someone care about me as much as you have. No one’s ever worried that much about how things will affect me. I guess in the past, everyone hoped I’d… get hurt and die so they wouldn’t have to deal with me anymore. I didn’t know that it could feel so… good to be loved by someone. All my life, my dad and even my mom told me how bad Travelers were. But in this short time span I’ve felt more love from you than I ever felt with them. You’ve become my family. And I hope I’ve become yours.”

She smiled at him, before bringing their lips together again.

Vivianna hadn’t really thought of what her ‘debut to sex’ might look like. She figured it could be something like how they showed in movies. A bed with rose petals surrounding it. Candles. Gentle music in the background. 

If there was one thing she’d been worried about, it was that her partner would be too impatient with her. Perhaps that would have been Kai if he’d still had his sociopathic side. Because that Kai wouldn’t have been able to wait so long once they got underway.

This Kai was far different. He’d seen that she was afraid and pulled away, asking if maybe she wanted to continue his another time. When she’d insisted they go on, he’d checked in on her each step of the way, worrying that she was making herself do something she wasn’t comfortable with, all for his sake.

That’d been what she needed. Security. Reassurance. And she got it all in that moment, which made it a thousand times better than what she'd been expecting. 

She’d been smiling like an idiot even the next morning. She’d gone outside to pick up their blankets and wine while he ate, unable to keep from giggling.

And then, suddenly everything felt wrong. She straightened up, trying to act casual. Someone was watching her. She made it seem like she was taking the time to fold the blanket, all while wondering what the hell she was going to do. She looked down at her neck discreetly. She hadn’t put on her necklace yet. 

She turned around slowly, and saw nothing. Yet, the feeling of someone watching her wasn’t going away. She started to walk quickly back into the cabin. She could still see Kai eating (more like devouring his food) at the table. If all looked well in there, why did she have a feeling that someone was looking at her from inside the cabin?

“Kai,” she said nervously once she came up to him. “Someone’s here. I don’t know how to explain it, but someone is—”

They heard the sound of a gun cocking.

Chapter Text

Joshua Parker became visible.

Kai immediately forgot his cereal, and lunged forward to pull Vivianna behind him. “What the hell are you doing here?” he said angrily. 

“I’m here to put you back where you’re supposed to be,” said Joshua. “And I’m gonna make sure you can’t get out this time.”

“Let her go,” said Kai, holding his hands up. “Vivi didn’t do anything. Just let her walk out the door. This is between you and me.” 

Joshua scoffed. “That sneaky Traveler wench behind you is the reason why I couldn’t pinpoint your location. I guess I underestimated your magic, little girl.”

Vivianna just stared at him, not sure how she’d make it to the bedroom for her necklace. “Took you long enough,” she said, trying to stall. Maybe Kai could think of a better plan. She stepped out from behind him. Joshua couldn’t point the gun at both of them simultaneously. “Why the delay? I would think the leader of the Gemini Coven would be stronger than that.”

The man’s lip twitched. “You Travelers are always so mouthy. You’d think your business of selling yourself to people would teach you to be quiet.”

“I don’t like what you’re implying,” said Vivianna coldly. “You have it all wrong. Then again, you Geminis have always loved to twist the truth. Make us seem like the bad guys when it was you who couldn’t handle the idea of immortality.”

“How about you quit running your mouth?” said Joshua. “You don’t need to be involved in this. It’s his punishment. As long as you don’t meddle, you can live.”

“Fat chance of that,” said Vivianna, seeing that the gun was now pointed at her chest, and not Kai’s. “I know you want to be able to brag about killing the last Traveler.”

“Step aside,” said Joshua. “Leave the cabin, and you won’t be harmed.”

“Vivi, go,” said Kai immediately. “Back door. Go.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” said Vivianna, knowing that there was absolutely no way Joshua wouldn't chase her as soon as he got rid of Kai. “I’m staying with you.”

“I’m not sending you two in there together,” said Joshua, looking disgusted at the mere idea of it. 

“Why?” said Vivianna. “Afraid we’ll figure out how to escape? Because there’s always a way. We won’t have a Bennett witch, but I bet that somewhere in that world, there will be Bennett blood for us to find.”

Joshua’s hand trembled a bit, seemingly from rage. Though, it became apparent to Vivianna that he’d never actually held a gun before. Why would he? He was a witch. Magic was more powerful than any bullet.

“Go on,” she said. “Shoot me. If it’s that much of a problem, shoot me.”

She was betting he would miss. Betting that it would give them a split second advantage. Kai could use his magic to toss the gun out of Joshua’s hands in the brief second where he couldn’t reload. Vivianna could run into the room and at least get her necklace. Stand somewhat of a chance.

“Believe me, I’d like nothing more,” said Joshua. “But you’re not my target today.”

“Let her go, and I’ll do whatever you want,” said Kai. “Don’t hurt her. Please, don’t hurt her.”

It was obviously strange to Joshua, hearing his previously sociopathic son begging him not to hurt someone. When, eighteen years ago, he’d been the one to slaughter four of his own siblings.

“What enchantment have you put on him?” demanded Joshua. “Answer me!”

“She took away my sociopathy,” said Kai. “I’m not a sociopath anymore. I feel guilt. You can punish me, if you want. I know I deserve it. But she doesn’t. She didn’t do anything.”

“She’s a murderer, just like you,” said Joshua. “A parasite. Chances are, she’s already inhabited your body and you weren’t even aware of it. That’s what their kind do. Violate. Steal. Flaunt themselves about.”

“Shut up!” snapped Kai. “Stop implying that she’s some sort of prostitute!"

“Maybe the better option is to kill the both of you,” said Joshua with a slight sneer. “Clearly, you’re both too far gone.”

“You’re just bluffing,” said Vivianna before he could turn the gun back on Kai. “You don’t have what you need to send him back to the prison world in the first place. You’re just trying to get him alone so you can kill him, because you know that even if we’re a siphoner and a Traveler, we can overpower you.”

“The ideal situation would be murder,” said Joshua. “For both of you. But for some reason, when Jo gave me this…” he brought out the Ascendant from his pocket— an exact replica of the one they’d had in 1994. Joshua smirked a bit as he looked over it, “She seemed rather adamant about letting Kai live. Something about seeing a change in him.”

“You’re lying,” said Vivianna, whose heart was beating faster and faster by the second. “Jo wouldn’t give that to you. She helped me. She saw Kai taking care of me. She wouldn’t have given you a weapon to put him away. We’ve been here for five weeks, not bothering anyone. Which again, goes back to my earlier inquiry of how you actually found us.”

“A Locator Spell told me you were somewhere in the mountains,” said Joshua. “As this is unfamiliar terrain to me, I didn’t choose to explore it. So I waited in the surrounding area. Had a few old friends keeping an eye out for the two of you. And lo and behold. Yesterday, I happened to see you, shopping. I had one of the saleswomen put a tracker on an item of clothing you bought. I waited until the tracker showed one consistent location for four hours before I made my way up here. I waited til the door opened in the morning.”

“If you’re gonna hurt us, at least fully debrief us,” said Vivianna. “So now, I want you to tell me how you actually got that Ascendant. I think you stole it.”

Joshua laughed darkly. “The only thief I see here is you. You Travelers take anything you want and provide nothing in return. You steal lives and objects and you act as though the whole world should be bowing down to you.”

“Well, I’m the last one, and if I wanted the world to bow down to me, we’d be staying in a five star hotel that looks like a fucking castle. Not a shitty cabin in the woods. I’ll ask you again, how did you get the Ascendant?”

“I suppose liars do know other liars better than anyone. The twins acquired it for me. When I realized Jo was starting to care too much… I distracted her. Had the twins break into her apartment to retrieve it for me. Had a decoy put in its place. She still thinks it’s tucked safely in her bureau.”

“Hard to believe you’re answering all this willingly,” said Kai nervously. He knew exactly why Vivianna was stalling, but he was getting the feeling that it was futile. There wouldn’t be a way for them to get away. Not when Joshua had a gun. 

“Well, I see no reason to lie after being caught. I am an honest man after all. And it’s not like either of you will be able to tell a soul the truth.”

“An honest man,” said Vivianna with a scoff. “Right. Run me through why you’re better than us? What, because you’re a ‘normal’ witch? At least the Travelers don’t treat their own children like shit.”

Joshua suddenly held up his finger and cast her a devilish smirk. “I was wondering why you looked familiar. That’s it. I know who you are. You’re Valeria and Julian’s daughter.”

Vivianna went rigid, and he started to laugh again. “I remember. Los Angeles in 2006. They were in the middle of a spell, attempting to break free from the Travelers. They wished to unlink their family from that magic. Cure themselves. When we caught them, we saw the photographs of their two children. They were so insistent that you were not in the area. When we killed them, they were rather loud. Screaming nonstop...”

“Shut up,” she said weakly.

“They were begging us not to go after you…”

“Stop talking…”

“And then, I got to watch them die in agony.”

He swiped his hand out, and Vivianna let out a scream as he forced the memory into her head.

“They’re just children,” she saw her mother saying pleadingly, through Joshua’s eyes. “They don’t know about being Travelers, please let them go.”

“That’s a lie, isn’t it?” She heard Joshua’s voice coming from her body. “Look at these pictures. This girl right here, she looks to be fifteen. Same age as my youngest kids. And this boy… he’s already an adult. Over eighteen for sure. They know something. And we’re gonna find them as soon as we’re done with you.”

“Please!” She saw her father begging beside her mother. The memory had such dim lighting, she’d only just noticed that her parents were chained up. “Not our children… don’t hurt them… they can do the magic but they don’t understand what it means! We haven’t let them meet other Travelers!”

“How precious,” said Joshua sarcastically. “They’ll become killers, just like the rest of you. This city may be big, but we’ll get to them, one way or another. I have one of my best already on her way to them. I expect they’ll be dead by nightfall.”

“NO!” Valeria screamed. “THEY’RE CHILDREN! THEY’VE DONE NOTHING TO YOU!”

Joshua had kicked her in the face, forcing her to the ground beside her husband. “They’re Travelers. All of you are scum.” He turned back to his fellow witches. “Burn them alive. Let them know what it’s like to be incinerated. After all, the Travelers do like their fire.”

Vivianna was horrified. Unable to move. Unable to exit the memory. Joshua had just stood there, watching as his fellow witches chanted, “Phasmatos incendia,” lighting the two bodies on fire. She heard her parents screeching, begging for mercy. Knowing that they were never going to see their children again. She was made to watch until the final moment, when all that was left was a pile of ashes.

“Collect the ashes,” said Joshua, snapping his fingers at another witch. “Put them together with the ashes of the children, once you get them.”

Vivianna remembered what came after that. A Traveler had managed to swipe the urn from that witch, and had come to warn them. After giving them the ashes, the Vivianna and Julian had grabbed a vial of their parents’ blood, left behind from a spell they’d been working on. They distributed it between each other before rushing out of the city.

And then, not long after, Vivianna had been tasked with killing the Gemini witch who Joshua had sent to find them. It was where she earned her scar, the one throbbing in her chest now.

Joshua laughed maliciously at the sight of Vivianna holding her own chest and sinking down. The memory overpowering her, and leaving her in a state of shock.

“I guess it’s time for us to have a chat, isn’t it?” said Joshua, turning the gun on Kai. 

“Vodux!” Kai said, causing the gun to fly off to the side just as he ducked. Joshua ignored the gun, and swiped his hands out, causing all the objects on the kitchen table to fly toward the ground, with the intent of hitting either Kai or Vivianna. Kai only just managed to keep a heavy dish from slamming into her head.

“Hurt her again, and I’ll fucking kill you!” snarled Kai, getting up, now holding a kitchen knife. He swiped his hand out, causing a vase to soar through the air toward Joshua, who had to raise his arm and create a barrier that left the vase shattering upon impact.

“You never change, do you?” said Joshua. “No spell could ever make a sociopath forget his ways. You just need blood, don’t you?”

Kai suddenly yelled out in pain, holding his head as Joshua stepped toward him, pressing his hand into the air with the aim of causing him pain. 

“As soon as I lock you away for good,” sneered Joshua, “I’m going to burn her alive. Just like her parents.”

“STOP!” yelled Kai, trying to overcome the spell. But he was growing weaker by the second, already starting to see black spots in his vision. “DON’T HURT HER!”

“Oh, I have to,” said Joshua wickedly. “You see, when I arrived, I looked in the window, hoping to find the living room empty so that I could get inside and kill you in your sleep. Instead, I saw you both there, on the couch. I had a terrible feeling when I learned from the twins that Jo had her as a patient. I made sure your sister ran a blood test to ensure that girl wasn’t already pregnant. There aren’t blood tests here. The only way to make sure that my bloodline doesn’t merge with that of the Travelers is to kill her. If there is any child already growing inside of her, it won’t be able to continue if she’s dead.”

“She’s not pregnant!” said Kai angrily, forcing himself to his feet. “She’s not a threat to you! If it’s me you want, take me! But don’t you dare lay a hand on her!”

He ignored the pain in his head, barreling forward and shoving Joshua into the wall, which broke the spell immediately. He started to slash around with the knife, not expecting his father to manage to keep up. 

“You really believe you changed, don’t you?” Joshua sneered, punching him in the nose. “What, now you fancy yourself becoming a father, or something? With that dirty little whore? You forget that you’re still my son. I won’t have you giving rise to a hybrid brat.”

“What are you so afraid of?” snapped Kai, retaliating with a slash across Joshua’s face. “What’s got you so worried? It isn’t just the bloodlines mixing, is it?”

“No child has ever been born with the ability to perform Traveler and witch magic. Witches have attempted to learn Traveler Magic for centuries, and it has never gone well for them. If it were to inherit the siphoner trait, it would be the strongest witch born up to date.  A tribrid child has already been born in New Orleans. This would be catastrophic—”

“So you’re just afraid of the unknown,” spat Kai, who had no idea what the hell a ‘tribrid’ would entail. What was it, part mermaid? “Let me guess, you think that that would bring about the end of the Gemini Coven? Or the end to all witches? Or, let me guess, a kid that strong would be destined to be best friends with the tribrid kid, whoever the hell that is.”

“It doesn’t matter!” Joshua snarled. “It won't be happening. I will not allow it.”

Meanwhile, Vivianna was only just snapping out of the trance, having watched over and over again as her parents were burned alive. She turned her head around slowly, scanning her surroundings. The gun was on the floor, far from her reach. Kai and Joshua were fighting, physically. Magic had been forgotten.

Vivianna scrambled up to her feet, sprinting to the bedroom. She grabbed wildly at the nightstand, taking her necklace, and the closest thing to it— the sealed letters for Jo, Liv, and Luke that Kai had written.

She figured it was her only chance of telling someone what might happen to them. The only chance that anyone would know they had been attacked. The phone was with Kai. The laptop, charging in the living room. She could already hear Kai being overpowered magically. She knew they didn’t stand a chance. 

Gripping the necklace tightly, she pressed her palm to the letters, praying that this would work. They needed to get to Jo. It was most important that she read them and seek Kai out, because only then would someone realize something was wrong. That someone had trapped them again.

“Poslat písmena dvojče!” she cried out. The letters vanished into thin air, and she wasted no time in getting back to her feet, sprinting to the main room.

Kai had been knocked out. He was bleeding from the side of his head, and holding a kitchen knife as if he’d tried to stab his father, but been unsuccessful. Joshua had the Ascendant in hand, and was starting to chant the all-too-familiar incantation that would send him back to the prison world.

“NO!” Vivianna held the necklace as she swiped her hand out. The Ascendant flew out of the man’s grasp, but unfortunately for her, didn’t shatter upon impact with the ground. She made to get it, while he lunged at her. 

He slammed her onto the ground, wrestling and trying to get the necklace out of her hands. 

“Bolest!” she screamed, causing him to yell out in pain. “Trest hoře—”

He smacked her across the face, and grabbed her wrist, snapping it to the side and causing her to howl as he broke her fingers, forcing her to stop clenching her hand around the necklace. 

“Incendia!” he yelled, pointing his hand at the fireplace, causing a fire to spring up. “Motus!”

Vivianna screamed out as the necklace was thrown into the fire, starting to melt immediately. “No— no, no, no—”

“Invisique.”

Joshua disappeared, and she felt the weight lifted off of her body. She lunged to where Kai was, taking the kitchen knife from him, and holding it up, looking around wildly.

“You’d be a fool to try and fight me like this,” she said shakily, though she didn’t feel too confident. “I’ve actually killed people without magic.”

She gulped as she walked in a small circle, still holding the knife. The door hadn’t opened. She knew he hadn’t gone anywhere. But she could hear and see nothing, which didn’t exactly give her a good idea of where he was.

Someone grabbed her from behind, and tossed her into the nearest wall. A portrait hanging on it crashed down, glass shattering over her body. Joshua was still invisible as he pulled her up, ripping the knife out of her hands and throwing it aside before shoving her to the ground in front of the fire, and kicking her right in the stomach.

“AHH!” She tried to curl up in a fetal position to shield herself, but that would have required tucking both arms in, and the broken one was hurting far too much for her to move it efficiently.

He kicked her again, as if trying to move her into the fire. He became visible after doing it a third time. “Now, you’re gonna die just how your parents did,” he sneered. He kicked her in the face this time, and she spit out blood. She figured he’d pick her up and toss her in, but instead, he turned around, and made a beeline for the Ascendant before going to Kai. Clearly, his priority was killing Kai. He must have known that tossing her body into the fireplace could burn the entire cabin down. 

Joshua extracted a small vial of blood, pouring it over the Ascendant before starting to chant, “Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum—”

Kai’s unconscious body started to twitch, and Vivianna knew she had only around a minute before he disappeared. She wasn’t going to let him go into that prison world alone.

She forced herself toward the table, where the urn of Traveler ashes had already been smashed from the altercation between Kai and his father. She grabbed a clump, forcing it into her injured hand, glad that Kai’s father was ignoring her. She looked up, seeing a small journal sticking out of his pocket. A good distraction.

She managed to get onto her knees, crawling toward him. She swiped her hand up, grabbing the journal, which caused Joshua to look down at her momentarily.

She threw the ashes up just as he finished chanting the last bit of the spell. He started to cough, and the Ascendant whirred. Vivianna threw her body onto Kai’s, making physical contact before Joshua could process the situation and move her aside.

The two disappeared together, and reappeared in the exact same cabin, back in 1994.

"Malachai," she whimpered, cradling her hand and tapping him incessantly with the other one. "Malachai... Kai... oh god... please wake up... please..."

He gasped as she slammed her hand onto his chest. "Vivi," he said, looking at her hand. "What the hell happened?"

"We're back in the prison world," she said miserably. "I tried to stop him, I tried—"

He pulled her into a hug. "I don't care. I don't care, Vivi, I thought he was going to kill you."

"He tried..." she drew back, and Kai carefully took her hand, murmuring a quick spell to heal her. She bit her lip hard as her bones started to mend. "My parents... he killed my parents... he sent that Gemini witch after me... and he... he burned my necklace. I don't have any Traveler ashes, Kai, I don't have any magic."

Kai held up his hand, before going pale. "And I just used the last of mine on you."

Chapter Text

It was clear that Kai hadn’t been emotionally ready for a repeat of the prison world.

How could anyone be? He’d gone in a man who could feel only pessimism and anger. Never hope. Never happiness. Everything he’d ever felt had to do with violence. And he’d kept to it up until the point that he decided that Vivianna wasn’t someone he wanted to hurt. Initially, he wanted her gone. Dead. A mutilated corpse.

But now? Everything was different. When she arrived, she felt everything. And she’d coped with it. Being back wasn’t all that different. She was in much more pain this time, but she knew how to process what she was feeling and knew how to get to her feet and start planning.

He didn’t know that.

Kai remained on the ground, holding his head, looking around the 1994 version of their little cabin. “I can’t be back here,” he said shakily. “Vivi… I can’t… I can’t…”

“Listen to me,” she said, kneeling back down. “We’re not gonna stay here. We’re gonna move. We need to get the Ascendant. We need to find anything that might be left. Dried Bennett blood on the Ascendant. Maybe something of Bonnie’s in the Salvatore House. Something we can use for a Locator Spell. And then, we need to find magical objects you can siphon from. I’m screwed, alright? I don’t have anything to do my magic. You’re the only one who can. Please… please don’t shut down…”

She feared that was exactly what he’d do. Go quiet. Lose himself, thinking he would be trapped here forever. It was a reasonable fear. There was no accessible Bennett blood. The Ascendant would have to be put together. Magic was going to be difficult to find.

“Kai, please,” she said, starting to tear up when he began crying, bringing his shirt up to cover his face. “Please don’t give up, we need to work together… we have to get out of here, we can’t stop trying…”

“I should have fucking killed him when I had the chance,” said Kai angrily, uncovering his face. Despite being able to feel a variety of emotions, he always reverted to anger when things weren’t going his way. “I held back, Vivi! Because I didn’t want to prove him right! I didn’t want to prove I was a murderer! I didn’t think he’d hurt you again! I thought he’d let you go. So I thought, what the hell, maybe I should just distract him so you could get away. I would have been fine here, but now you’re stuck here with me! Because I didn’t kill him when I could have! I didn’t even try to siphon from him!”

“This wasn’t your fault,” said Vivianna, standing up as he did, starting to storm out of the cabin. “Kai, listen to me, please, don't blame yourself! If anything, it’s my fault for not being more careful when I went out into town—”

“I was the one who insisted you dress fancy!” spat Kai. “I was the reason you went out there to get clothes for the both of us! I should have killed him! He broke your hand!”

“You healed it, it’s fine now,” she said, holding it up and showing that she could move it.

“Is that even the one that was hurt?” he asked, shaking his head when he saw she had her other hand draped over her side.

Vivianna nodded. “Yes, this is the one he broke. He… he was kicking me in the stomach, it just hurts, but I’ll be fine.”

Kai’s eyes darkened. “He wanted to burn you alive, Vivi. Because he had some sick idea that you were pregnant and that he needed to get rid of it.”

“Calm down,” she tried to say. “I’m not pregnant. He hurt me, but I’ll get over it. No one else was hurt.”

“Well, what if you are?” demanded Kai. “What if you are and you’re trapped in here with no magic? What if we’re stuck here for months and I have to help you give birth and then I don’t know what to do, and you and the kid die? I can’t do this if that’s the case, Vivi! I don’t want to be here!”

“Just stop!” she shrieked. “Kai, think rationally, I can’t be pregnant! I had sex for the first time last night! You wore a condom, you pulled out, and you did a spell to prevent contraception. We’ve done it one time, it’s not possible. Your dad thought we’d been sleeping together a lot longer than we actually have. Please, just take a deep breath and let’s talk about what the hell we’re gonna do, okay?”

“What the hell do you know about tribrids?” asked Kai, not sure how the hell he was gonna manage to think about anything else now. “Huh?”

“Why are you asking about that?”

“My dad mentioned something. Just tell me what the hell a tribrid is.”

“I’m not sure how true it is,” she said. “But when the Travelers started off with their plan to end Spirit Magic, they started first by killing off all but the last two doppelgängers. Stefan Salvatore, Damon’s brother, and Elena Gilbert, Damon’s girlfriend. In that time, somehow, they got word of something going down in New Orleans. I guess they were hearing rumors about how one of the Original vampires managed to have a kid. No one was sure what to believe. I sure as hell didn’t know what to believe. 

“I just know that not long before the Other Side fell apart, the tribrid was almost ready to be born. And there was speculation that it would be a vampire-wolf hybrid. I guess the mom is a werewolf from one of the New Orleans wolf bloodlines, and the dad is the Original Hybrid. Klaus Mikaelson. Thing is, somewhere, somehow, someone started coming up with theories about how the kid could also be part witch. But no one was gonna know for sure until it was born. How much do you know about the Originals?”

Kai stared at her momentarily as if she was stupid. “What the hell do you think I know about them? Literally nothing.”

She didn’t take it to heart. “Okay, well, this ancient witch had a bunch of kids, and when one of them got killed by a werewolf, she used black magic to turn her kids into vampires, also known as the Originals, who went on to sire ever vampire in existence. Not long ago, two of the Originals died. The oldest and youngest brother. With them, two entire sirelines of vampires died, and so the vampires found out that they were linked to whichever Original their bloodline originated from. 

“Witches started to scheme. They hate vampires, and they were trying to figure out ways to kill the Originals. One witch, I’m not sure where, started trying to figure out how to unlink vampires from the Original who sired their line. That way, the witches would be able to either kill all vampires, or kill the Originals without hurting other vampires. The Originals have a reputation for being dangerously loyal to each other, which puts a lot of people in danger ‘cause if you mess with one, you mess with all. That’s all I really know about witch business as it relates to those vampires.”

“But you mentioned one was the ‘Original Hybrid,’” said Kai. “What the hell does that mean? Was he a heretic or something? Is that why people think the kid is a tribrid?”

“No. He’s part wolf. The mom cheated on the dad, and gave rise to this kid. Some people joke that he's the only middle child to ever get that much power in comparison to his other siblings. Klaus Mikaelson is ruthless. He’s killed Travelers in the past, all because they wouldn’t work for him. He prefers witches, but I guess he had a phase where he thought to rely on my people instead, because the witches are all so adamant about not wanting to betray nature. I figure he knew that Travelers don’t care about the balance of nature. Thing is, they don’t do vampires favors, either.”

“But if he’s a vampire, how can he have a kid?”

“My guess is that spell that Damon and Bonnie’s friend group participated in, years ago. I heard all about it. Elena had to be used for a ritual that gave Klaus the ability to be a wolf again, ‘cause I guess his mom took that away when she turned him into a vampire. I think that granted him fertility, ‘cause usually, vampirism takes existing fertility away. It’s a lot to explain, but that’s my theory. So, somehow, he sleeps with this wolf girl and conceives this kid. I didn’t really care to look much up while we were in the cabin. But I did read something on the dark web about two weeks ago saying the kid didn’t make it. It’s been almost three months since the Other Side collapsed, apparently the same day it was born. And it supposedly didn’t make it.”

“Well, my dad is pretty sure it’s still alive, or something,” said Kai.

“In what context did your dad bring that up? I’m confused.”

Kai heaved a harsh sigh. “My dad was just… making comments about how you might be pregnant. I knew he had more issues than just not wanting the bloodlines to mix. So I asked him about it, and it looks like he’s afraid that if you and I had a baby, it would be really, really bad for witches. 

“He said witches have tried to learn Traveler Magic and have failed. Sounds to me like you can only do that magic if you were born with Traveler blood in you. If we made a baby, we’d be merging one of the most elite witch bloodlines with the only existing Traveler bloodline. That kid would naturally have the ability to do Traveler and Traditional Magic. Translates to being extremely overpowered, especially if they’re a siphoner too. 

“And then my dad mentioned the tribrid, so I’m figuring that he thinks that the tribrid kid and this nonexistent kid could take over the world and change everything for the witches. I bet the witches don’t want that, ‘cause they’re a bunch of shady bastards, and they know that two incredibly strong kids could flip their world upside down.”

Vivianna frowned. “Oh… well, that does sound really dangerous.”

Kai had not been expecting that. “Wait, what?”

“Siphoners are the only witches in the world who could keep their magic if they were turned into vampires. If this kid was able to do Traveler and Traditional Magic, and if they were a siphoner, and if they were turned, then they’d be the most powerful heretic in the world. More powerful than the ones who exist. 

“The heretics that are in the 1903 prison world are limited by their own magical capabilities, and they can only do Traditional Magic. If a heretic could do Traveler Magic too… Kai, the Travelers thrive on connection. That would grant them an insane amount of magic to channel. A Gemini-Traveler kid and a tribrid kid could take over the world. 

“And people are already worried about what the tribrid will become… if it’s even still alive… because of who its father is. And because it was proven that the tribrid’s blood can sire a new line of vampires. If we had a baby, and it befriended the tribrid, and the tribrid turned them… holy fucking shit, we’d be in for trouble. If they were evil, of course. Which they probably won’t be, but…”

“That’s probably why my dad’s even more worried,” muttered Kai. “He doesn’t believe I’m actually better. He probably thinks I’d weaponize my own kid.”

“I think that’s what a lot of people were concerned about with Klaus Mikaelson’s kid. That he’d use it to make more hybrids after he failed with his first batch sired using Elena Gilbert’s blood. The witches don’t like knowing that something so powerful can exist. They care so much about balance. I mean, how does one even get rid of a tribrid? The Originals can only be killed by a white oak stake made from this tree they burned down a long time ago. If there’s any of that thing left, it’s probably in their possession. A Traveler heretic would likely be able to be killed if their head was cut off or their heart was ripped out. That’s how it usually works with any sort of hybrid.”

Kai just shook his head. “I never thought about being a dad. Never thought it was anywhere in my future. Before, when we discussed it, it was because we wanted to break our curses. We didn’t know it could lead to something like this. Even back then I was doing it for all the wrong reasons. Knowing what we do now… it’s terrifying. We can’t have sex anymore, Vivi.”

“What?” she said, staring at him in disbelief. 

“We don’t have magic! You could end up pregnant and we can’t undergo this risk. Mr. Original Hybrid didn’t know he could have kids. If he’d known, he probably wouldn’t have gone through with it. It’s a huge-ass responsibility to have such a powerful kid. What if you can’t handle the pregnancy? What if I’m a shitty dad? It’s better to just never have sex again. I don’t want to.”

Vivianna started to laugh, and turned away, shaking her head. “Oh my god,” she said, feeling like she might start to cry again. “Well, I really wish we hadn’t already had sex, Malachai. I didn’t think it was gonna be a one time thing.”

“You think I want it to be a one time thing?” he said. “I don’t. But we’re stuck in a fucking prison world again, for the foreseeable future. I don’t want to risk knocking you up, because I will hate myself if you have to go through a pregnancy here.”

“Why are we even talking about this?” she asked. “We should be focusing on getting out. We can have this conversation in the real world, okay? If you really want to abstain, then fine, we won’t have sex. Probably best we sleep in separate beds to make sure we’re not tempted.”

“I don’t want to sleep in separate beds,” said Kai incredulously as she started looking around for a map. “Vivi, don’t be like that…”

“It’s better that way,” she said. “You were the one who didn’t want us having sex. I think we’ll have a better time keeping our hands off of each other if we just keep away from each other when we sleep. You’re right, okay? It’s better we don’t risk it. At least not until we have magic so that you can do your contraceptive spell.”

He sighed, watching as she found a paper and pen and started to write down what they needed.

“We need a map in case we have to travel,” she dictated. “I need female hygiene supplies, ‘cause I’ll be starting my period either tomorrow or the day after. Then, we have to get to the Ascendant, gather everything, and start planning for where we’re gonna find magical objects. Might be a good idea to hit up New Orleans. There is a reason the Originals settled in there. I know the witches in that city have a history of Ancestral and Sacrificial Magic. They ought to have magical objects, if we can’t find any here. We should probably see if we can find Bonnie’s old house here, her grandmother may have had magical objects we can use.”

“Vivi,” said Kai worriedly. “Are you gonna be okay?” He noticed she was still holding her side.

“I’m in pain,” she said. “I’m angry. And we need to get a move on, okay? I don’t have my magic. For the first time since I learned I was a Traveler, I’m completely useless. And now I’m hearing that the witches are gonna be gunning for me for yet another reason. For something that hasn’t even happened yet. A pregnancy neither of us want or are ready for. So forgive me if I’m not in a good mood. You weren’t in a good mood either.”

“I’m sorry I was yelling earlier. And I’m sorry I made you mad. I didn’t want to make it seem like… like I don’t want to sleep with you. ‘Cause I really want to. Last night was… wow. But I could never forgive myself if I knocked you up and you had to go through that. Even if I’m here to help you, that pain will be all yours. I’d be putting you through something horrible. It’s safer that way, Vivi.”

“I get it, Malachai. I do. Can we please just get a move on?”

“Maybe you should put an ice pack on the bruises. Also… what’s that in your pocket?”

“This stupid journal,” she said, bringing it out. “Your dad had it. I don’t know what it is, I just thought to grab it and distract him so I could get to you in time. Otherwise, you might have ended up here alone, and I didn’t want that.”

“Let’s take a look at the journal. Maybe there’s something useful in there.”

(A/N: If you read Pernicious, it’s the same journal that Kai and Amelia stole from Liv. Completely made up by me, and I’m reusing it.)

“This is the Gemini constellation, right?” asked Vivianna, looking at the cover. “And the Gemini Zodiac sign.”

“Yep,” he said, opening to the first page. “Would you look at that…” he dragged his finger over the title on the first page ‘PRISON WORLDS.’

“So this is a record of every single prison world the Gemini Coven ever made,” murmured Vivianna. “I know they used to make them then collapse them. That sounds fucking awful.”

“There were so many,” said Kai, starting to flip through the pages. “1701… 1705… 1706… 1708… over and over again… holy shit, they’ve had more than twenty since the 18th century. All collapsed. And they listed all the people in them… look, they scribbled out their names and put notes that the Ascendants were unstable, so they stopped making so many…”

“There should only be two active prison worlds,” said Vivianna. “This one, and the one in 1903 with the Heretics.”

Kai nodded, opening to the last two pages, where ‘1903 PRISON WORLD’ and ‘1994 PRISON WORLD’ were the only ones that didn’t have ‘COLLAPSED’ written on the top.

“‘Prison World 1903,’” Vivianna read off of the penultimate page. “‘Heretics and Sire.’ There’s a description… ‘The Heretics spent forty years tearing through the European continent, and were found with the intention of destroying the Gemini Coven. While the siphoners were cast out initially because they were not as violent as those in the past, their hybrid nature has made them a liability, and imprisonment has become a requirement.’ They listed their names… jeez, I’m gonna butcher some of these, but… ‘Heretics: Valerie Tulle, Malcolm Vogel, Beau Leroux, Mary Louise Keller, Oscar Gaudin, Nora Hildegard. Sire….’” 

“What happened?” asked Kai, seeing she’d trailed off, her eyes wide. 

She cleared her throat. “It um… it has a note on the side… before it lists her name… ‘The Heretics and their sire were imprisoned together, as she is the one who turned them into monsters, and while holding no relation to the Gemini Coven, we believe that Lillian Salvatore needs to be punished, too.’ Then, it lists… ‘Sire: Lillian Salvatore.’ Salvatore, Kai. Like Damon and Stefan. There’s a picture of her.”

“Okay, this lady definitely looks like she could be their mom,” he muttered when he looked at the picture. “She has the exact same eyes as Damon. I’m not even sure how they made the picture be in color, but… holy shit. This is literally an older, girl version of Damon.”

“I could have sworn he said that she died,” said Vivianna. “But this whole time, she’s been a vampire. They all probably desiccated in there. That sounds awful.”

Kai just gulped. “You know, you’re right, we should get a move on. We can’t desiccate, ‘cause we’re not vampires, but we don’t want to be stuck here.” His eyes flickered over to her. “Vivi, seriously, are you okay or not? You don’t look too good.”

“I don’t feel too well,” she said, lifting her shirt and showing that her side was incredibly bruised. “My jaw hurts, too. He kicked me in the face. Didn’t manage to break the skin, but I don’t know how much more I can move today. I don’t want to stay here, but… I’m pretty sure the cramping in my side is my uterus telling me my period is almost here. I’m having way too much pain in one area all at once, and no magic to make it feel even slight better.”

“That settles it, we’re not going anywhere til tomorrow,” said Kai. He picked her up, causing her to whimper a bit, before going to set her down on the bed, putting her legs up on a pillow. “I’ll see if I can find a car, and I’ll get you some pads and tampons and stuff, okay?”

“Okay,” she said softly. “And some Tylenol, please.”

He left the room, returning with an ice pack. “I’m sorry, Vivi. He did this because… because of me.”

“It’s not your fault,” she murmured.

“You’re still hurt by what I said. About no sex.”

“I… I just… you said it so suddenly, and even when you explained your reasoning, I just felt so hurt. You decided it so quickly, I thought maybe you didn’t actually like it. Maybe I wasn’t good enough and that’s why you don’t want to.”

“Don’t say that, Vivi,” he said, sitting beside her. “I really, really liked it. And I have to draw away, because I know that if I don’t, I’m not gonna be able to hold back, and we’re gonna end up with an unplanned pregnancy. I want so much with you. I want a family. But right now, that’s a risk to your health. And I can’t do that to you. I don’t even know how I’ll manage it in the real world. Seeing you in so much pain and knowing I’m responsible for it. I care a lot about you. And I don’t want you to think that I don’t want you. It’s because I care about you that I’m trying to hold back. For your safety. You are…” he leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Beautiful.” He pecked her cheek. “And strong. And I know you can handle yourself, but just let me take care of you for a bit, okay? If we get out…”

“When,” Vivianna corrected.

“When… then we can talk about kids. Okay?”

“Okay, Malachai.”

“I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere. Just keep the ice on your side, and try and sleep.”

Chapter Text

Kai returned and found her curled up.

She’d turned onto the side that didn’t hurt as much, and had hugged a pillow, placing herself in a more comfortable position. He smiled a bit, seeing that the ice pack was still properly pressed onto her. He brought the blanket up, covering her with it and leaving her supplies at her bedside.

He’d gone into the kitchen, spreading out his other acquisitions. A map, some bandages, more medicine, clothes, blankets, and just enough food to eat that day before they traveled to get the Ascendant.

“Hey,” Vivianna said sleepily when she came out of the room, having smelled something in the kitchen. She found Kai had made her some beef stew, which caused her to smile before sitting down and starting to eat.

“Take your medicine,” he said, offering her a bottle of water. “It might help with the cramps and the bruising.”

“Thanks,” she said. “Got everything you needed, too?”

“Kind of,” he said. “I’m thinking we should stay in Mystic Falls while we figure out where to go. So I didn’t get too much. I don’t want you carrying anything. How do you feel?”

“Still really sore,” she said. “No one had ever beat me like that. I’d been in fights and all that… but jeez, that’s the first time someone genuinely fucked me up. Usually I’m more able to defend myself.”

“He’s got years of practice,” said Kai bitterly. “I learned to fight so that I could hit back. Good ol’ dad just loved tossing me to the ground and kicking me repeatedly so I’d ‘learn my lesson.’”

“I hate that he did that to you,” murmured Vivianna. “My parents were so gentle with Julian and I. This is so messed up.”

“It makes me so much angrier thinking about the reason he was doing that. He really thought it was justified, or something. As soon as we get out of here, I’m gonna fucking kill him. I don’t care about the guilt. If you had actually been pregnant, that would have been a forced miscarriage. The fact he tried that without knowing for sure is just unforgivable.”

Vivianna pursed her lips. “Kai, there’s something I need to tell you. Something that I did. And I worry you’re not gonna be happy with me.”

Kai frowned. “What is it, Vivi?”

“When you two were fighting and I ran into the room… I kinda already knew we weren’t gonna make it out of there. I knew I wasn’t strong enough. And since the phone and the laptop were too far away for me to send a distress call… I grabbed the letters you wrote for your siblings and sent them all to Jo. I’m hoping that she received them and maybe, just maybe, has it in her heart to try and get us out, because your dad straight up admitted that he had to have the twins steal the Ascendant from her. She didn’t want to trap us. Maybe she’d be willing to get us out.”

Kai stared at her, trying his best not to be angry. He’d been silent, and Vivianna bit her lip, trying not to tear up.

“Please say something,” she whispered.

“I wasn’t ready to send those letters yet, Vivi,” he admitted. “I wanted to do it in person. Or my mail, I don’t even know. But I wanted to do it on my terms.”

“I know. And I’m sorry. I’m so, so, sorry. I swear, I will never invade your privacy like that again. I just— I reacted, because I was scared that if I didn’t send it out… if I failed to get back to you… no one would know, and no one would go after you. Joshua would have killed me and you would have been all alone.”

“I get why you did it, Vivi. I just wasn’t ready for her to see that yet. I… I just need to take a walk.”

Vivianna started to cry the instant the door closed behind her. She brought her shirt up, wiping her eyes before forcing herself to continue eating, even though she was no longer hungry.

He didn’t come back for several hours. And it made her so much more miserable. She’d gone back to the bed, curling up and hugging the pillow, thinking that maybe she'd gone too far. Maybe she’d violated his privacy far too much. She’d fallen asleep in a pool of her own tears, completely forgetting about the eclipse until Kai arrived once evening hit, gently prodding her awake.

“Time to get up, Vivi,” he said gently, sitting beside her. “You need another dosage of medication.”

She slowly opened her eyes, not sure if she was actually seeing him. He brought up his hand, carefully wiping the tears away with his sleeve.

“I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you,” he murmured. “You were just trying to save us. There wouldn’t have been any other way for other people to find out where we are. It’s okay, Vivi.”

“It’s not okay,” she said dejectedly. “I shouldn’t have done it. I should have scribbled a note instead, or something.”

“Look, Vivi, chances are, my dad burned that entire cabin down along with the Ascendant to keep anyone from getting us out. Those letters would have burned. And on the off-chance he didn’t burn it, he would have found them, and I wouldn’t have liked that. It’s okay. I’m not mad. I shouldn’t have been mad in the first place.”

She sat up, pulling him into a hug. He held her carefully, afraid to squeeze too hard, since she was still recovering.

“Let’s check on those bruises,” he said, lifting her shirt. “Ooh… ouch…”

“How bad?” she asked, grimacing.

“Well, it’s really reddish purple right now. All over your belly. More on your left side. Maybe I should get some paste or something that’ll alleviate the pain better. Are the pills helping?”

“I don’t know, let me take my next dose and we’ll see. I can cook us—”

“No, no, I came to wake you up because I already cooked. Still have some leftover beef stew, but I grilled some corn and onions, too.”

He picked her up, carrying her to the kitchen and setting her down in front of her plate. The two ate in silence, and when Vivi was done, she drank more water to down her pills.

“You aren’t taking medicine,” she observed. “Did he not hurt you as badly?”

“Mostly punches, but they didn’t really leave marks. It was a lot of internal pain in my brain.”

“Maybe we should go to a hospital and go into those MRI machines and see if we can figure out if anything is wrong.”

“I mean, I think I would have felt something wrong earlier. I’m more worried about you, Vivi. I still have a slight headache, but it’s fine. It’ll go away.”

“I’ll be okay, too. Eventually, the bruising will fade. We should go to sleep after this. Try to recharge and be ready for going after the Ascendant tomorrow.”

“Alright. I got some blankets so I can enjoy a much fluffier 1994 couch.”

“We don’t actually have to sleep in separate beds. I know I said that but… I’m kind of used to sleeping next to you now. I don’t think I can sleep unless I’m with you.”

He’d been extra careful when they’d curled up later that evening. He’d wrapped his arm loosely around her chest, spooning her from behind, and keeping a pillow between their hips so that he wouldn’t disturb her. She’d fallen asleep instantly, and he’d followed suit not long afterward.

“Do you think Jo actually got the letter?” he asked her the next morning, before either of them got up.

“I would hope so,” said Vivianna. “She should have read it by now, if she did get it. Unless she wasn’t at work… I kinda imagined it finding her at the hospital? I don’t know if it dropped into her palm or into her office or into her nightstand at her house. I really am not sure.”

“Well, at any rate, we just have to hope that when she finds it, she reads it right away. And wonders about me. Maybe asks my dad. Hey… did he have Bennett blood? He needed that to lock us in here.”

“Yeah, he had some blood. I really hope it’s not Bonnie’s. She isn’t the only Bennett. He could have gotten it elsewhere. If she wanted to trap us, she would have done it herself.”

“I hope that’s true, cause…” he pursed his lips. “Yeah, I just hope that’s true. I don’t want to even imagine her betraying us. I’m mad enough at those stupid twins.”

“They haven’t exactly gotten to know you. All they’ve known is what your dad tells them. And obviously he doesn’t have the nicest things to say. Maybe Jo will give them their letters and feel… inclined to undo what they did.”

“Fat chance of that. That would take a fucking miracle.” 

“Well, what we need right now is a miracle. Because I’m not mentally able to think of any solution yet. Just going to New Orleans and seeing what we find, if we don’t find magic in the Bennett house.”

“Let’s just do that. There’s no reason to stay in Mystic Falls. If we’re gonna be stuck here long term, we might as well go and stay somewhere new. Somewhere that doesn’t have bad memories for us.”

“Somewhere that we can be even somewhat happy,” said Vivianna. “If we have to be stuck here, at least we’re not alone.”

“I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t made it in here with me,” whispered Kai. “I… I literally don’t know how I would survive it. Probably spend the rest of my days killing myself until the prison world was eventually collapsed.”

“I’m staying right here, next to you,” she told him. “I’m not going anywhere.”

They were the only thing that kept the other sane for the weeks they were in there.

_

“This has to work,” said Jo, holding the charred Ascendant in her palm.

It had taken around eleven weeks to come up with a plan to contact Kai and Vivianna. The letters had been unfortunately deposited on Jo’s desk at the hospital, which had been left abandoned for a week after their arrival due to her taking time off of work to try and improve her relationship with the twins.

The twins had no idea that their father had imprisoned Kai. They thought he’d wanted the Ascendant in order to hide it, because he feared Jo would destroy it to keep Kai from being sent back. He had told them that he wanted to have it just in case Kai needed to be ‘punished’ again. He claimed that as long as Kai didn’t show his face, all was well.

Jo had returned from her vacation time feeling closer to her siblings, but also, sensing that something was off. She figured that Kai might have contacted her by now to try and Merge. Was it possible that Vivianna had actually convinced him to drop that idea?

Then, she’d found the letters.

“Dear Josette,” Kai had written, “I’m not sure how this letter will find you. Maybe I’ll have the guts to deliver it in person. Maybe I’ll be a coward and send it via mail. I just hope you keep reading, because something’s happened. Vivi cured me. She took away my sociopathy. And the emotions kinda all exploded on me at once. I feel all this guilt and pain and I wanted to hurt myself. Vivi suggested I write letters and burn them. I don’t think I can bring myself to burn yours because I want you to hear what I have to say.

“I fucked up. I know that. And as much as Vivi says it isn’t my fault, because I couldn’t really think any differently, I know that I’m the one that tore the family apart. I know that my jealousy got the best of me. I saw you, then saw myself, and all I could feel was rage. I was supposed to be more like you. We were twins. There should have been more similarities. Instead, there seemed to be every single difference known to man, and I had to suffer for it.

“I don’t think I can ever forgive our parents for how they treated me. Because even if I’m a monster, no one deserves to be treated like that when they’re just a kid. I didn’t understand any of it, and yet I was always being shoved around. Vivi always talks about her parents, and it’s so weird to me. Because they were so nice and understanding. Maybe it’s not good to compare it, since she was everything a Traveler should be. Still, from what she mentioned, it seems like siphoners used to be worshipped by the Travelers. I didn’t want to be worshipped. But I did want to be loved.

“I didn’t feel that love. Not with you, not with Joey, not with our parents. It made sense in my head to act out. Get myself kicked out. I thought that if I were free and alone, I could be happy. Instead, I was kept in that damn house. And I just got lonelier. More ostracized. Until the day I snapped. And I killed four of our siblings. They were innocent. I know that. And I’m gonna hate myself forever for what I did to them, because they didn’t deserve that. 

“I feel like my body is gonna give up. I want it to. I feel like I should burn in Hell for taking their lives away when they were just starting to live them. I wrote them letters, too. And I’ll probably read them to Vivi. I don’t know why she cares about me when she knows the truth, Jo. I don’t know how she can see good when there’s nothing there. Even before she cured me, I felt something for her. She was something beautiful. Like a guardian angel I’d been missing my whole life. She’s the first one that’s ever made me feel completely accepted. She’s what I want to be. She tries to be better even though she wasn’t the best person in the past.

“So I guess that’s what I wanted you to know. That I want, more than anything, to be better. I don’t expect forgiveness or love. I’ll understand if you never want to see me again. Trust me, I would react the same way if our roles were reversed. I just hope you know that I am, truly, sorry. And if given a chance, I will do whatever it takes to prove that I can be civil. That I can be the brother you should have had. I want to start making up for my sins. Which I know will take a really long time, and will never undo the wrong I committed. But I have this fantasy that one day, we can sit on the porch swing and drink Zima together and joke around like we did before everything happened. And in that fantasy, you’re proud to call me your brother.”

She’d shed several tears when she finished reading what he wrote. Because even in his words she could tell that there was a change. Small, and something she’d need to see with her own eyes. But something she had faith in. She genuinely believed that if given a chance, he would spend the rest of his life making it all up to her.  

“Ric,” she’d said, when she finished reading the letter. “I need to contact Bonnie.”

At the time, Bonnie had been in New Mexico. Jeremy had elected to attend art school, and had brought Bonnie along so that she could take a few interesting classes at the University of New Mexico while Jeremy studied at the Santa Fe Art Academy. 

It had taken a few days for Bonnie to return to Whitmore. When she had, Jo had explained the situation, begging for her help with a Locator Spell.

They’d found the burned-down cabin about three weeks after Kai and Vivianna had been sent back into the prison world. In its ruins, they found the Ascendant, seemingly damaged beyond repair.

And so begun their task of fixing it. Alaric had pitched in, looking for replacement parts that could be welded using different materials. Jo had told the twins about what she wanted to do, and they’d kept it a secret from their father in order to work spells that might just fix the Ascendant.

Bonnie had been researching ways to contact Kai and Vivianna without going into the prison world. She wasn’t sure what to say just yet, but she knew that she wanted to be ready to do something, because she was certain that even if they somewhat fixed the Ascendant, they wouldn’t be able to go into the prison world fully. Which meant they really only had the chance to send a message and give Vivianna and Kai a clue to get out.

Surprisingly, Damon had been the one that figured out how to get them out.

He’d been talking to Elena about the cure, when suddenly, it clicked. He’d called Bonnie and Jo immediately, telling them that all they had to do was get Vivianna a message about Nova Scotia. She was a Traveler, after all, and she had to know about where Silas was buried. It wouldn’t be an easy find, but if they managed a face-to-face, Damon and Bonnie could explain it to her, since they’d actually gone on the expedition back when Professor Shane had been alive.

There was only one problem. The Ascendant couldn’t manage to send the two of them at once.

“It can only be one of you,” said Jo, looking down at the Ascendant in her hand. “I only just got my magic back. I can’t sustain the spell that long. If Bonnie helps me, it will be better. Liv and Luke are already doing the spell to keep the Ascendant from shattering. We don’t have much time. We don’t know where they are. It can only be one person. So Damon, Elena, and whoever else went to Nova Scotia, rock paper scissors.”

“I’ll do it,” said Elena. “Damon should stay here so Bonnie can channel him, give an extra boost.”

“You’re not going in there,” said Damon, making a face.

“You got kidnapped by a vampire hunter before you got to that cave,” said Elena with a playful smile. “I made it the entire way there. Let’s forget what happened after that. The only other people who know how to get there are Jeremy, Rebekah, and Stefan. Two of those aren’t here, and Stefan’s already busy keeping a lookout in case Joshua Parker somehow finds out about this spell and tries to mess it up. We need to help them. Quickly.”

“Fine,” said Damon. “Five minutes. Be fast about it.” 

They started the spell, and Elena closed her eyes, putting her hand on the Ascendant. 

She appeared in New Orleans, where Kai and Vivi were laying on a balcony, trying their best to tan.

“I think we need a different tanning lotion,” said Vivi, taking off her sunglasses. “Or maybe, we just can’t tan in a prison world.” She looked up at the doppelgänger. “Elena?”

Normally, Vivianna wouldn’t have understood ‘the hype’ behind the doppelgängers. But now, she did. 

Elena gave them detailed instructions to get to Nova Scotia and find the rock with Qetsiyah’s blood and magic stored away. She’d left before she could say much more, but they had all the information they needed. 

It took almost a week, but they managed to escape. Exhausted, they arrived in Mystic Falls, and found that Damon was waiting for them.

“My lucky day,” he said, though he didn’t sound completely enthusiastic. “We’ve been taking turns guarding here, wondering when you two were gonna show up.”

“You will not believe how hard it is to go into caves when you’re not an immortal vampire,” said Vivianna with a slightly cheeky smile. “Nice to see you, too.”

“Thanks for this,” said Kai, coming up to shake Damon’s hands.

“Holy shit,” muttered the vampire. “You’re actually civil. I didn’t even know you could say that and genuinely mean it. Guess that means your twin sis is gonna put you to work now.”

“Put me to work?” asked Kai.

Jo debriefed them once they saw each other.

“This is for you.” She handed a small jar of ashes to Vivi. “This is all the ash we could gather from the cabin. We’re not sure what part of it is Traveler ash and what part is furniture, but we’re really hoping some part can help you have some magic… at least until the spell on you is broken. The others are gathering more dark objects for you as we speak. They’re trying to get you as many as there are in the world to help you with your spells.”

She then faced her brother. “I read your letter. And I want you to prove that you want to be better. You’re gonna be working with me. I am a doctor who hates losing her patients. I also happen to be terrible at magic. I want you to do the spells on them. Heal them. Show them genuine compassion. And then, I will do whatever it takes to protect you.”

“What about me?” asked Vivianna. “What am I supposed to do while he’s here? We’ve… we haven’t…”

“We haven’t been separated in months,” said Kai. “Neither of us are used to it.”

“In the meantime,” said Jo, “you can work on the spell to break the Gemini’s Merge Curse. The twins are ready to take up the position of leader. But they want to do it together. And unless they Merge, the only way to dethrone my father is to get rid of the Curse that made him the leader in the first place.”

Chapter Text

A/N: Before I start off this chapter, I’d like to ask my Quotev users to please take a moment to vote in this journal: Future TVDU Stories from SprintingFox to let me know which TVDU story you want me to write after this. My Wattpad users, please either comment where I post the question on this chapter OR on my post on my profile (should be pinned at the top). AO3 users, please comment at the end of the chapter. IF YOU ALREADY VOTED SOMEWHERE, PLEASE DON’T VOTE AGAIN, THANK YOU!

Which TVDU story do you guys want me to write once I finish Vendetta?

• Fem Witch OC x Camille O’Connell (TO S2 - onward) - 0 votes so far
• Fem Vampire OC x Kol Mikaelson (TVD S3/TO S2 - onward) - 8 votes so far
• Fem Vampire OC x Rebekah Mikaelson (TO S3 - onward) - 7 votes so far
• Fem Human OC x Damon Salvatore (TVD S5 - onward) - 3 votes so far

I'll announce the results next chapter. Thank you! 

Vivianna felt vulnerable.

She knew she’d grown more attached to Kai than she’d expected to. That wasn’t exactly the worst thing. But it did make it very difficult for her to cope, now that they were spending hours away from each other.

He seemed to be doing alright. After all, he was rekindling his relationship with his sister. He was putting all the medical knowledge he obtained in the prison world to use while healing Jo’s patients.

Vivianna was practically being babysat.

A long time ago, she’d wondered how she’d feel, meeting her partner’s family for the first time. It had been a silly thought, considering she hadn’t had a long-term relationship that might lead to that.

But whatever she’d been thinking, it had been nothing like this.

“So,” she said, looking over at Liv and Luke, who were on the couch across from her. “Are you guys just gonna hover the entire time?”

“Jo just wants us to keep you company,” said Luke. 

“You do realize this is my apartment, right? Like, I miraculously still had my own money and bought this place for myself and for Kai. Not for other people.”

“We know that,” said Liv, with slight irritation prevalent in her voice. “You think we want to be here? But you’re the only person who can help us not have to Merge. So excuse us if we want to monitor your progress.”

Vivianna rolled her eyes. “So Bonnie’s the only one out there looking for dark objects that I can use?”

“You Travelers aren’t exactly easy to find,” said Luke. “Especially not for Geminis. A Bennett witch has a greater chance of finding the dark objects than we do. Not to mention she’s friends with vampires, who can travel literally anywhere without having to pay.”

Vivianna just pursed her lips. “Okay. Well now that you’re here, I need your blood. Elements aren’t exactly something I can use properly, but I can do a preliminary spell to allow me to channel you for the spell. It needs to be done on Gemini twins, because you guys would be the ones Merging. And it’s better that it be you two and not Kai and Jo because you’re both pretty matched in strength.”

They didn’t argue. She handed them a knife, and they cut into their wrists, depositing some of their blood into a small bowl. 

“This is honestly weird,” mentioned Luke, not bothering to remain silent behind a grumpy expression like Liv. “You’re dating our brother. You’re like… our sister-in-law.”

“It is weird,” said Vivianna. “But that’s not really the focus of today.”

“We got the letters. The ones you had him write to us. It’s weird, hearing him sound so genuine on paper when we only ever heard bad things about him.”

“He has a different emotional capacity now. He didn’t use to be able to care for you, and now he can. And he feels guilt.”

“Isn’t it a little strange that you’re closer to our age than his?”

“Oh, for the love of—” Vivianna held back a curse. “It’s not strange at all, honestly. I was twenty-two when I got sent into that prison world. He was twenty-two, and he’d been twenty-two for a long time. We were the same age, and we are basically still the same age. Doesn’t really matter what year he was actually born in considering his life was put on hold for eighteen years.”

She ignored the way they looked at her once they finished depositing their blood in a bowl for her. She grabbed the jar with ashes, putting her hand in to mix them around, hoping there was some Traveler ash mixed in with that of the burned furniture in the cabin. She grabbed a small clump, then put it in the bowl, before dipping her fingertips in. “Odkaz kanál dvojče,” she whispered. “Odkaz kanál dvojče… odkaz kanál dvojče…”

The blood and ash began to mix, turning into a greyish slime that slid up to her wrists, creating a loop around them, before it vanished into thin air.

“There,” she said. “Grants me access to your bloodline. Do me a favor and don’t try any major spells while we’re linked. I don’t want a repeat of last time.”

“He nearly killed you when he siphoned that Traveler Magic off of Mystic Falls,” said Liv. “How can you trust him?”

“He didn’t know it was hurting me. As soon as he learned that it was, he stopped, and he didn’t care if he lost power in order to save my life. And that was all when he was still a sociopath. I trust him with my life.”

“Our dad’s worried about that aspect of it,” said Luke, pursing his lips. “Like, the fact you two are so connected… and it could lead to something else.”

“Will everyone stop worrying about me being pregnant?” said Vivianna. “Kai and I aren’t actively trying to have kids. We haven’t slept together in almost three months, and I’ve gotten my period consistently since then. Your sister is the doctor, not you. I really don’t need to be explaining myself, but it feels like I have to ‘cause everyone is so damn concerned about my private life.”

“Are you two even a thing, officially?” asked Liv bluntly. “‘Cause we saw him earlier today and he uh… didn’t know what to call you. Like when he was referring to you.”

“We’re not officially anything. Partners, basically. It just doesn’t really feel right to be called his girlfriend. I feel like we’re way past that. Even though Kai and I have only known each other for around half a year, it doesn’t make sense to call it anything. We’ve been through too much to be worried about labels like that.”

“Do you genuinely think that’s gonna work out?”

“Yeah. I do.” Vivianna cast them a weird look. “Is this gonna turn into an interrogation about my relationship status with your brother, or are you gonna be quiet and let me work on this spell?”

Obviously, this became a cause for ranting once Kai returned.

“They were looking at me like I was some sort of alien,” said Vivianna, starting to unpack a few boxes that Alaric had retrieved from her old storage container, back when Julian was still alive. “Didn’t let me have a single moment of peace.”

“Kids these days,” said Kai, coming to peek in the box. “Well, I guess we gotta thank the storage facility for never donating this stuff. We now have a blender.”

“And a panini press and a waffle maker,” she said. “Is this weird? Us just… settling down as quickly as possible to pretend like we weren’t completely alone for almost three months?”

“It’s just us trying to have things be as normal as possible,” said Kai. “It felt really weird being at the hospital today. So… coming ‘home’ to a really nice apartment and finding you organizing it was just about the best thing that could have come out of today. How are you feeling? Day one post prison world. We didn’t really do much in there. And suddenly there’s so much we can do. We can literally go to a rave.”

She shrugged. “We got put to work right away, so I guess it helps with the transition, but I still feel afraid. They’re risking a lot to keep our return a secret. What happens when they decide it’s too much? What if I do something to piss them off and they get their revenge?”

“I was talking to Jo today and honestly, from a bystander’s point of view, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell that we hated each other’s guts for eighteen years. I think things are gonna be fine. We just have to get this spell done as soon as possible. As soon as my dad isn’t the leader of the Gemini Coven anymore, we don’t have to really worry about anything. He won’t have the power to hurt us. Luke and Liv… I don’t fully trust them, and they don’t fully trust me, but they clearly care about Jo, and they can see that she wants to be nice to us. So I think that we can have some confidence that they’ll keep the Coven in check if they try to come after us.”

“I have an important question,” said Vivianna, sitting back and taking a break from digging through the box. “Should we tell Damon about the fact that his mom is alive? I get a bad feeling about keeping it a secret. I’d still like to rescue the Heretics before this spell happens, ‘cause we don’t know if the world will collapse when the spell is done. And now, we know that Lily Salvatore is with them.”

Kai pursed his lips. “Your call, Vivi. If you think Damon needs to know… then he needs to know.”

“It’s just… my parents are dead. They’re dead, and they’re never coming back. Your mom is dead and your dad is an asshole. We’ve lost our chance to have a good relationship. But he and Stefan think their mom died years ago. And that's not the case. They have a shot at having a parent again, and I think that’s something we have no right to take from them, especially when we know otherwise.”

“Just one thing. Maybe let’s start with telling Damon, and not tell Stefan until we see how Damon reacts. He’s the big bro. He remembers his mom more. Not to mention we have an actual relationship with him. And uh, Jo mentioned that Stefan’s dealing with some stuff with this dude who won’t stop bothering some chick he’s trying to protect. No clue about that, but I think he’s got enough on his plate.”

That evening, instead of going to a rave (which they were both curious about), they’d driven in their new car from the little apartment near Whitmore, to the Salvatore Boarding House in Mystic Falls.

Damon had been alone. Apparently, Elena was doing some sort of study session with Caroline and Bonnie.

“Your first night in a new apartment and you two are here?” asked Damon, making a face. “Weirdos. Go do something that’s not… butting in on my alone time.”

“We wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t important,” said Vivianna. “There’s something you need to know. Something we found out about recently.”

Damon raised his brows. “Well, spit it out, I’d like to return to drinking bourbon while I wait for my girl to text me back.”

“Your mom’s alive.”

Damon’s jaw went slack. “So you return from isolation and fancy yourselves comedians? Not funny.”

“She’s not joking, Damon,” said Kai defensively, immediately growing annoyed that Damon didn’t believe them. “We found proof that your mother was sent to a prison world with a group of Gemini siphoners turned heretics.”

“So my mom joined a cult and got locked away.”

“Not a cult,” said Vivianna. “Heretics are… hybrids. Siphoners given vampire blood and turned. The notebook we found…” she brought it out to show him, “it lists your mother as their sire. And on the way here, Kai was examining some old Gemini journals Jo gave him when he finished his shift. We have a lot of proof that she was hanging out with six heretics.”

Damon scoffed and starting to walk out the door. “Where are you going?” demanded Kai.

“To prove to you that she’s not in a prison world!” called the vampire.

The two followed after him. They ended up slipping through the woods until they reached the Mystic Falls Cemetery. Upon approaching a crypt, they figured out what he was planning. 

“Uh, do you need help?” asked Kai when Damon started to remove rocks on the floor of the crypt. 

“No, I don’t need help,” snapped Damon.

“‘Cause uh… if you’re gonna dig up your mom’s coffin or something… I could siphon from you and make that a whole lot easier.” 

Damon ignored him. The two had to watch for at least half an hour as he dug and dug, until finally, he brought out a coffin, using a nearby crowbar to pop the locks off.

“My mother died of consumption in 1858,” said Damon gruffly, though he didn’t pop the lid off. “We did not go through the trouble of moving this thing to the family crypt only to find out that she's not even in here. They have it all wrong.”

“I don’t think the Geminis would lie about something like that, Damon,” said Vivianna uncomfortably. “They wouldn’t have known about Lillian Salvatore unless they were living at the same time as her. These pages are all dated.”

“If my mother was imprisoned in 1903, she’d be in her seventies,” said Damon. 

“Not if she were like you,” said Kai cautiously.

Damon whirled to face him. “I know my mother. She's not a vampire. She is not in a prison world. She died of consumption in 1858.”

“But you wouldn’t know that unless you saw her, Damon,” said Vivianna when Kai held up his hands in surrender. “If the last time you saw her was 1858… so much could have happened.”

“She’s not in a prison world!” snapped Damon. 

Kai raised a brow. “Uh, if you’re so sure of that, why haven’t you opened the coffin yet?”

As if to prove a point, Damon tossed the lid off. When they all turned to look in, they found the coffin completely empty. 

Damon immediately tensed, and got to his feet, before facing them. “Tell me everything you know about her. Now.”

“Shouldn’t we call your brother?” suggested Vivianna, handing him the journal so he could read everything that was written about Lily.

“Not until you tell me,” said Damon, eyes scanning over the pages, and focusing on the photograph of the woman that was definitely his mother. “I’m not getting Stefan’s hopes up. He was ten when she died. I was old enough to grieve properly, but if this all ends up being a lie, he won’t be able to handle it if I give him false hope.”

Kai just sighed. “Your mom’s most likely some sort of psychopath, if she sired Heretics and was dangerous enough for the Gemini Coven to imprison her. She and the Heretics were captured on a dock in New York City in 1903. From what I found in the Gemini archives about her, she was turned in 1858, she faked her death, and went to Europe with her Heretics, where she went a little nuts. Bodies piled up, she and the Heretics moved, killed some more, moved again. All of them were said to be Rippers. There isn’t an exact number of victims, but the Geminis estimated three thousand in total. The Gemini Coven made it their duty to stop them, and they cut the group off at New York Harbor before they could tear through Manhattan. By the time they got to the ship, everyone was dead. So they burned it right there in the harbor. Wiped their hands clean, wrote the names in the journal, and went on with their business as usual.”

Damon looked like he might cry. “Damon,” said Vivianna gently. “We can go and give you time to process everything if you need. I… I personally would like to give her and the Heretics a chance to redeem themselves. Make something of themselves outside of the prison world. Because when I undo the Gemini Merge Curse… the prison world may or may not collapse. I don’t know for sure. So we wanted to give you the chance to decide—”

“What do you need to get her out?” asked Damon a bit hoarsely.

“The 1903 Ascendant,” replied Kai. “Which we don’t have. And we’re not sure where we will find that. ‘Cause we need magic, and we ain’t got that consistently. We can’t tell Jo or the twins because then they’ll definitely blab to my dad, and the whole plan will go to shit.”

Damon shook his head. “No… I need… I need to talk to my brother. Don’t do anything. Don’t… don’t let them out.”

He walked past them, leaving them to take it upon themselves to put the coffin back in the dirt and cover it up as best as they could.

“So, that went terribly,” said Vivianna once they were back in the apartment. “But at least we told him. Did something good. I never asked… how did it go at the hospital?”

“Channeled my inner clown as much as I could,” said Kai, kicking off his shoes. “Did my best to make the patients laugh while Jo explained to me what was wrong with them. Did a few spells to heal them. Then one at the end to wipe their memories of it. I think Jo gave me an A+ on that assignment. It feels… kinda nice, helping people like this. If I don’t become some sort of engineer, I wouldn’t mind trying to become a doctor. I did already start learning all this medical stuff.”

Vivianna thought about it as she walked over to the kitchen, starting to put away all the supplies they’d gotten from the box earlier. “You could be a biomedical engineer. Maybe I’ll be willing to study to be a doctor alongside Elena. I’ll be a bit behind, but…”

“But you still feel passionate about teaching.”

“I don’t even have the patience to be a teacher, but I feel like it’s the only thing I’d fully enjoy. You can lose patients and hurt people when trying to heal them… I’d face that as a nurse or doctor. But with teaching… passing on my knowledge… I feel like I’d really like that. I’d have to learn to teach Traditional Magic Theory or something… I can easily learn that before I start being able to do that kind of magic on my own. But where would I teach? There aren’t any magic schools… that we know of, at least. Besides, I do still like science.”

“So how about you start pursuing something down the science path, then if a magic school ever pops up, drop everything and start teaching?”

“Not a bad idea. Can you see me being a doctor?”

“I can see you becoming a Professor at a Medical School,” he replied, tapping the side of his head. “Boom. Doctor stuff. Teaching. Science. Potentially even magic, if you learn of any witches in your program.”

She smirked. “An even better idea. Have I told you lately how smart you are?”

He blushed. “I don’t think you had.”

“Well you are. Brilliant. Handsome. Unbelievably brave and funny…” she forgot about the supplies and turned to face him, sliding her hands up his chest. “Wonderful… experienced… ridiculously good with his hands…”

“What do you say we try out the furniture in this new apartment?” asked Kai lowly. “Now that we’re out of the prison world and don’t have to hold back.” He put his hand on the back of her head, laying her down against the empty table.

The following morning had been far better than the one before it. They were giddy, and were completely safe and able to have breakfast together before Kai went to the hospital again, and Vivianna got back to working on the spell (with Liv and Luke hovering over her again).

Around midday, she’d received a text to her new phone from a number she didn’t recognize. Though, the fact the message read, ‘Need to talk ASAP. -Your favorite vampire’ let her know that it was probably Damon.

“Kai’s siblings are here,” she murmured when she called him after she prepared them all something to eat. “What is it?”

“Stefan thinks we should get them all out.”

Her eyes widened. “All of them?”

“Yeah. I guess um… he knows one of them. One of those names. A girl that he knew back in the day, had some unfinished business or something. So… find your Ascending thing, and let me know as soon as you have it.”

“I’ll tell Kai.” She ended the call and dialed his number immediately. “Come on, pick up…”

“Vivi!” he said happily once he answered. “You’re on speaker.”

“This is awkward. Take me off of speaker. This is a private matter.”

“If this is about last night…”

“Yes, it’s about last night, I really want to talk dirty to you,” she said sarcastically. 

There was a scuffling sound, and moments later, he said, “Okay, you’re off speaker and I’m in the bathroom.”

“I was kidding! But now that you’re alone… the Salvatores are in. Let’s get those heretics and Lily Salvatore out.”

“Well, you’re gonna love what I have to say, even if it isn’t a vivid description of what we were doing on the table yesterday. Jo has the 1903 Ascendant. We can go into that prison world tomorrow.”

Chapter Text

Kai overestimated Jo’s generosity.

“Are you freaking kidding me?” hissed Vivianna when he returned that night, saying that Jo had not wanted to give him the 1903 Ascendant. “What the hell did you tell her?”

“I said I wanted to um… have it,” said Kai awkwardly. “As a souvenir.”

“A souvenir?”

“I didn’t think telling her the truth would put us in a good position.”

“So you lied and now she’s gonna know we’re up to something sketchy.”

“Jo doesn’t know who’s in the 1903 prison world.”

“But she’s probably gonna try to find out now.”

“Well what if I lie about something?” asked Kai, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small vial of red liquid. 

“Put that away!” said Vivianna, shoving his hand down. “We can’t tell them we have that! No one can know, Malachai, because we don’t know how good they are at keeping secrets. We don’t need a flock of vampires coming our way.”

“But this is the perfect excuse!” said Kai. “Jo wants me to prove I’m being good, right? So what if I say I want to go on an expedition in 1903 to get another version of the cure? The one that existed in this reality is gone for good. I can say that I want to give it to Elena and Caroline for all their help. Elena gave us the message to go to Nova Scotia, and Caroline is the one who fed you her blood when you were dying. Chances are, it’s because of her that you’re still alive. The Salvatores probably would want us to offer it to those girls before anything. If they don’t want it, then they can figure out what they’d like to do with it.”

“This is a risk, Kai,” said Vivianna. “What if she figures out that you’re lying? What if she doesn’t buy it?”

“Well, she should! A part of me kinda does want to offer it to them.”

“What’s the other part wanting to do with it?”

“Keep it for you.”

She blinked. “Malachai, I’m mortal. I don’t need that.”

“But we might be mortal forever, Vivi. If… if something happens and we end up choosing to turn into vampires at some point, and we don’t like it, then we should probably have this on standby so that we can undo it.”

“Are you thinking of turning?” she asked slowly.

Kai bit his lip. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking a lot about it today. Because… because one of Jo’s patients didn’t make it. Not even with my magic. But I knew that if I had vampire blood, I could have healed them. And I was thinking… my magic would be so much stronger if I was a heretic. We’re planning on letting them out, anyway. If I turned once we get to know them, I’d have people… real heretics… who can teach me how to use my powers.”

“You don’t know how that’s gonna affect you. What if you become a Ripper like them?”

“We’ll deal with that if it happens, that’s why the cure is our backup plan.”

“But… but if you turn and you’re fine with it, what then? I thought you wanted to give me a chance to do Traditional Magic. I can’t do any magic if I’m a vampire.”

“I know. Which again, is why the cure is important. Until we break your spell, you won’t be able to do any magic unless you’re holding a Traveler’s dark object. Breaking the Gemini Merge Curse could take months if not years. Only once that’s done can we help you. So… maybe becoming a vampire is something we have to talk about.”

“What about kids? What if we decide we want to have kids when it’s been way too long for us to age normally with the cure? Because if we both turn and one of us takes it, the other has to drink it from that person. And then the one who loses the cure will start to age a lot. We’re not sure when we’re gonna feel ready for kids. It could be tomorrow or it could be in the next century once we’ve had a chance to… to explore the world and take advantage of compulsion and all that.”

“I genuinely do want to go into the 1903 prison world and potentially get another copy of that cure,” said Kai. “Just to be safe. I want anything and everything with you, Vivi. I want a family. I do. I just needed to bring this up in case something goes wrong.”

She tensed. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s no secret my dad’s gonna want to come after us the instant someone snitches. I’m thinking… we should get in the habit of drinking a little bit of vampire blood every day so that if we’re ever attacked, at least we won’t die permanently.”

“So you want a fail-safe in case your dad ever comes after you.”

“Yes. And I want you to go along with it too, to be extra safe. Because he’ll want to hurt you, too.”

Vivianna turned away and sighed. “This is a lot to think about. I… I guess you can tell Jo, if you really want to. If you think she’ll fall for that. She’s your twin, you know her a lot better than I do.”

“You still seem skeptical.”

“It’s not just about that. Thinking about everything is still so… jarring. The idea of losing my magic forever and becoming a vampire. I watched a Traveler be turned into a vampire. And I watched her vampirism stripped away. She died right before my eyes. At the hands of the same man who killed my brother.”

“You think the same thing could happen to you.” He came closer, and wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Vivi, I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you. I’ll kill anyone who tries. I’m just mentioning it because I can't imagine living forever and not having you at my side. I’m not sure I can be happy living as a regular siphoner until I die. I’m not even entirely sure I trust myself to undo your curse unless I have constant magic.”

“You’d think I’d be more excited about the prospect of living forever,” she said weakly. “It’s what started the schism in the first place. Can we discuss this… another time, maybe? Just tell Jo. And hope that she doesn’t betray us.”

“She won’t. But she’s gonna be scared when she learns who’s in there. And she might not want to give up the Ascendant if she finds out about the inhabitants before I go back and ask her for it tomorrow.”

Unfortunately, Stefan blabbed.

Not directly to Jo. But he’d been needing advice from Caroline, explaining whatever history he had with one of the heretics, named Valerie Tulle. Caroline had found it alarming that they were considering freeing six heretics and a Ripper vampire, and had made a comment to Elena, who had then told Alaric to ask if Jo knew about that, and it had all gotten back to Jo, who confronted Kai about it the following morning.

“Do I look stupid to you?” asked Jo, dragging him into her office.

Kai was not sure what this was about. “Well, since I’m supposed to be acting nice, I’ll say you don’t look stupid. You’re a doctor, Jo. You can’t be stupid.”

“Were you ever going to tell me the truth?” she demanded. “About why you want to go into the 1903 prison world?”

He narrowed his eyes a bit. “Why do you think I want to go in?”

“Do you think that freeing Damon’s mother and Stefan’s old fling is going to make everyone forgive you right away?”

He opened and closed his mouth several times before managing to say, “That’s not what I was going for, but—”

“Kai!” she exclaimed, holding her arms up. “Think, goddamnit! We don’t know these people! Maybe there’s nothing wrong with reuniting Stefan and Damon with these two women, but the others— they were expelled for a reason! They were sadistic and they—”

“—were like me,” he interrupted. “I was born a sociopath and a siphoner because of an ancient curse. They were born like that, too. It wasn’t their fault, Jo. They didn’t ask to be born incapable of feeling real love and happiness. They couldn’t help but focus on the negative. Vivi thinks they deserve a chance, and I think they deserve a chance, too. Look at me! I’m doing good, aren’t I?”

Jo’s lip trembled. “You are, Kai. It’s not that I don’t think you’re doing good. Because these past days, I’ve truly felt like I have my brother back. Even the twins are saying good things about you, based on what they hear from Vivianna. We’re all happy that you’re becoming so much better. But the only reason you’re really able to, in all honesty, is because Vivianna removed the sociopathy before you could enact any plan you had. These heretics are going to come into the world and there won’t be time for her to undo that. And even if she tried, chances are it wouldn’t work because they’re already vampires. What if you go in there and they kill you without letting you explain?”

“We’d be careful Jo, I swear we would,” he insisted. “Please don’t tell dad… please…”

“I wouldn’t tell him,” she said, appearing hurt that he’d even think that of her. “After what he did… I can’t forgive that. I was an idiot back then, letting him mistreat you. I genuinely believed that he would leave you be, and instead, he went after the two of you. I won’t tell him. I just need you to put more thought into this, Kai. Until Vivianna undoes the Gemini Merge Curse, we’re all linked to our dad. And when those heretics get out, they’re gonna go straight for him, because they know that killing him will eliminate every Gemini in the world instantaneously.”

Kai tried to remain calm. “Jo, we have to get them out before she does that spell. The world could collapse if we wait until afterwards. I do have another reason for wanting to go in there, okay? I want to go to the 1903 version of Nova Scotia and get another copy of this.” He brought out the cure, which left Jo confused.

“What the hell is that?” she said. “That looks… disgusting.”

“It’s the cure to vampirism,” he said. “The 1994 version. If I get another copy, then we have two doses available to anyone who wants to become human again. Including Elena, Caroline, maybe even the Salvatores, or anyone else they know who just isn’t cut out for vampirism. Your boyfriend got lucky that you were there to save his ass when he apparently stepped over the Traveler Spell border. In case you forgot— that’s not up anymore! This would be the only way for a person to go back to being a human.”

“Is that the real reason you want another copy?”

“Sort of. If Vivi and I choose to become vampires, and it doesn’t go well for us, then I want this as an option. Mostly for her. I could be happy as a heretic, I know I could be. But she’s not sure she wants this. And if I have a way to undo it… to grow old with her instead of spending eternity at her side… I want it as an option, at the very least.”

Jo sighed. “You have good intentions. You really do. I know that you just want to help them the way someone helped you. I know you want to think the best of them because they’re like you. But… they’ve been in there for over a century. If they’re not desiccated, they’re going to be very bitter. And if they are desiccated, they’re going to be reckless with whoever wakes them up. They will feed until you’re dead. Whoever goes into that prison world on that mission with you… none of you are able to be linked to it. You will die if something happens to you in there. I just got you back, Kai. I can’t lose you. I was just having all these crazy ideas about how you’ll walk me down the aisle at my wedding. I was even brainstorming what presents I’ll get when you and Vivianna eventually get married.”

Kai half-smiled. “I appreciate it, Jo. Really. I want to take part in that, I do. But this is something that matters to Vivi, and it’s something that matters to me. To Stefan, to Damon…”

“I can’t give you the Ascendant. Yet. I need Vivianna to be ready to undo the Merge Curse first. As soon as she provides a detailed outline and proof that she’s ready and has everything she needs to do the spell, then I’ll give you the Ascendant. You guys can go in there, get whoever you want to get. And at least, we can quickly unlink ourselves from our dad before the heretics are fully unleashed into the world.”

“Okay,” said Kai with a slight smile. “That’s a deal. I don’t know how happy the Salvatores will be, but…”

“They’ll just have to understand. At least it gives them time to prepare for when their mom gets here. And that Valerie girl. Is uh… Stefan intending to date her, or something?”

Kai shrugged. “Vivi and I don’t keep up with that. I didn’t hear the story about the two of them.”

Jo beamed. “It’s so strange but comforting at the same time… hearing you talking about Vivianna like you two are already a married couple.”

Kai managed a weak laugh. “Did um… did dad talk to you about his concerns with that? Not necessarily the marriage but… me and Vivi.”

“There was something mentioned about the risk of a kid with you two.”

Kai gave her a very brief explanation of the full discussion he and Vivianna had had, following their entrance into the prison world from the cabin.

“Oh, wow,” said Jo. “That sounds like a big responsibility. I’ve hardly pictured myself as a mother. No offense, you never struck me as the type to ever become a dad.”

“I know, right?” said Kai, not bothered at all. “I felt bile rising in my throat whenever I had to speak to our dad. Seeing myself as one is really weird. But I’m pretty sure Vivi is gonna end up really wanting kids at some point. And I imagine I’ll want kids, too. I’ve felt so much better since she helped me, and I can definitely picture myself teaching a young mini-Kai to play soccer.”

“You do realize that this wouldn’t be a normal kid, right? Siphoning is a recessive gene. But the gene was originally seen in the Travelers. They cursed the Gemini Coven to have siphoners who were sociopaths, but they didn’t eradicate the gene in their own people. Which means Vivianna may be a carrier for the same recessive gene. Leaving a one in four chance that your kid has that gene. There’s a lot to unpack with that, however. Whether it’s a sex-linked gene or not, etcetera. I think there’s a very high chance your child will be a siphoner. While retaining normal witch powers.”

“Yeah, dad already conveyed how that can be a problem,” said Kai. “And like I mentioned, Vivi and I were discussing how that kid would have massive potential to become a really powerful hybrid.”

“Not just really powerful. Insanely powerful. I don’t really think that a friendship with a tribrid will be a problem. Let’s forget the tribrid even exists. Kai, this could kill her.”

Kai blinked. “Kill… her… as in Vivi?”

“Yes. Her body wasn’t meant to harbor so much magic. I’m not sure how Traveler pregnancies work, and since no witch and Traveler have ever had a kid together, there isn’t any knowledge on how that affects the mother when she’s a Traveler. Our mother was sick for months when she was pregnant with you and me. Your siphoning was hurting her and me. Were it not for our dad and a few other witches creating a talisman for her, we all could have died when she went to give birth. Siphoner babies are just about the most dangerous in a pregnancy.”

Kai paled. “So… carrying a baby with that much magic… and the siphoner trait…”

“It could just be a difficult pregnancy, or it could be a deadly pregnancy,” said Jo. “We don't have research on this. It could end up being completely fine or it could end up giving her the absolute hardest time ever. She’s not exactly petite, but she’s smaller than you, not to mention she doesn’t look all that healthy. If she has any sort of problems with menstruation…”

“Uh… I don’t know if she wants me telling people this, so don’t blab, but her periods are pretty painful. Especially the first few days.”

Jo sighed. “Ultimately, it’s gonna be up to you. But when the time comes, please have this conversation with her. I know some herbal witch remedies that may help. If she takes it before each period, it could act as a more efficient birth control that’ll actually dull the symptoms instead of giving her a gazillion horrible side effects.”

“Definitely gonna take you up on that,” said Kai. “She’d appreciate that. Plus, we definitely need birth control.”

“Please tell me you’re being safe about it,” said Jo, raising her brow. 

“Well, we are, but accidents happen.”

“Don’t even think about getting in bed with her until you tell her what we talked about today. She needs to know how much she’s risking every time she sleeps with you.”

“Are you having that same conversation with Alaric?” asked Kai, crossing his arms. “‘Cause I saw you two the other day when he came by to bring you lunch. You’re not on Grey’s Anatomy. And yes, I know what that is, Vivi and I just started watching it. Talk about nasty. You work in a fucking hospital, for christ’s sake.”

Jo turned. “It’s none of your business. For once, don’t scare this boyfriend off.”

“Well, he hasn’t tried to be my best friend, so he’s already a lot more likable than any guy you ever brought home before. I’m just saying, the dude’s mortal, too. You’ve got a successful career, and as exciting as it is to think of myself as the cool rich uncle who gets the kids the best presents at Christmastime… you don’t look like someone who’s ready to have kids.”

“I’m not ready for that,” said Jo. “None of us are. Just talk to her, Kai.”

He decided he’d take her up on that advice. As soon as he got home (with the sad news that there would be no getting into the 1903 prison world until the Merge Curse was ready to be broken), Kai sat Vivianna down, and told her everything Jo said.

“There are about a hundred reasons why I was always skeptical about being a mom,” said Vivianna. “That just added about fifty things to the list.”

“Jo gave me these,” he said, holding up the packet of herbs. “For your period. It should act as birth control, too. When are you due?”

“In a few days. Potentially even starting tomorrow.”

“Great, you should take these, if you think you want to try it. I don’t want you to get hurt. The last thing I want is for me to be the reason you’re suffering.”

“Malachai, don’t be ridiculous,” she said, taking his hands and squeezing them. “If I end up pregnant, it’s not gonna be just your fault. It takes two people to have sex and make a baby, you know. It’ll be my fault, too. We’ll try this, and hope it works.”

She got to her feet, and went to start making herself the tea. “So, I’m thinking that with my current progress, combined with the lack of progress in the others getting me my dark objects, it might take us a fucking month to get that spell ready. It’s October 10th. At the latest… we’ll be getting Lily and the Heretics out just before Thanksgiving.”

Kai whistled. “Talk about giving those Salvatores something to be thankful for.”

“How will it work? Going in and trying to get another version of the cure?”

“I’m thinking Damon, Stefan, Elena, Bonnie, you, and me go in the prison world. Elena superspeeds to Nova Scotia to get the cure. The rest of us deal with the Heretics and finding the 1903 Ascendant that’s in the prison world. We gotta focus on waking the Heretics up, getting them oriented with what’s gonna happen, that sort of thing. Really gotta convey that we’re there to free them so they don’t fucking eat us. Elena’s a vampire, it shouldn’t take her that long to get back. At most twenty-four hours, which should be long enough for the Heretics to pack anything they wanna bring with them. As soon as Elena’s back, we get out of there, and as soon as we’re back in this world, you do the Gemini Merge Counter-Curse and boom. Everyone’s happy.”

“Good plan,” she said, dipping the herbs into the water she’d started boiling. “What do you say we test this tea out as soon as I drink it?”

Kai smirked slightly. “What, you wanna conduct an experiment, or something?”

Vivianna batted her eyelashes. “Might as well.”

A/N: Hasn't been that long, lol, but the majority of people voted for the Kol story. As of now, we're at 13 votes for Kol, 10 for Rebekah, 3 for Damon, and 1 for Cami. Thanks all!! I will **most likely** be writing my Kol x OC story directly after this one. Comment for more. 

Chapter Text

Thanksgiving was already around the corner.

“So, Caroline invited us to a ‘Friendsgiving’ thing at the Salvatore House,” said Vivianna, coming over to Kai and holding up an invitation. “We’re assigned to bring dessert.”

“Huh?” said Kai, poking his head out from the kitchen. “Who assigns something for us to bring? Honestly, I expected her to tell us to cook the entire meal.”

Vivianna shrugged. “I don’t know. Point is, we’re bringing dessert. The others who were invited are gonna provide the others stuff. We have a few days to figure out what we’re gonna make and how long it’s gonna take to make it. This is kind of our big cooking debut, so…”

“Well, I can make apple and pumpkin pie from scratch,” said Kai. “You should whip up a Czech dessert or something.”

She raised a brow. “I know I have Czech blood and speak the language, but I wasn’t exactly raised on those traditions. I don’t know any Czech desserts. Even less how to make them.”

“Perfect time to connect with your roots, then. See how good an online recipe turns out.”

“Woah, woah, woah, if we’re gonna show them our kitchen skills for the first time, I’m not sure I want to rely on an online recipe that I’ve never tried before.”

“You said it yourself, Vivi, we have a few days before Thanksgiving. Why not find one today and practice it?”

“Did you forget our big mission that’s happening tomorrow? We’re going into the 1903 prison world… I don’t exactly have time to practice anything. Tomorrow, there’s that, then the day before Thanksgiving, I’m breaking the Gemini Merge Curse.”

Kai nodded. “Okay, then I’ll take care of dessert. You be badass and focus on your spell.”

She grinned, and he narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t want to cook in the first place, did you?”

“I would have been fine if we were asked for an actual dish. When it comes to dessert… you’re better. And if there’s a cooking mishap, we can blame you, entirely.”

“You’re not getting sex for a week because of that comment.”

“It’s okay, I can cope. We’ve been doing it every other day anyway. You’re the one that said it’s a good workout.”

“Hey, you’re the one that wanted to test the tea out.”

“The tea’s working great, we know that. Last time, my period was done and over with in one day. No cramps whatsoever. Then this month, no bleeding, no pain. This is the best fucking birth control I could have ever asked for.”

“One major question I have,” said Kai as she started preparing herself a snack. “How didn’t you know about this earlier?”

“Travelers don’t use herbs in magic. That’s all Traditional, I couldn’t hope to incorporate that into any spell. I don’t know herbal remedies the way you witches do. It’s gonna be a lot to learn once I’m able to do Traditional Magic. Speaking of… any progress on that spell?”

Kai winced. “I’m not as good at spell-writing as you. I have like, a rough idea of how it can be broken, but I’m not entirely sure it’s gonna go down well. We’re talking about changing the way you do magic. The way your body inherently allows you to exhibit your abilities. Sociopathy seems a lot easier to remove from the mind. And the Gemini Merge Curse is a lot simpler than this. You understand how the Merge Curse was made in the first place. But I have nothing to go off of so that I can help you do Traditional Magic. It’s gonna take time. Maybe til Christmas.”

“Well, I think I can manage until then,” said Vivianna. “It’ll be my present.” She winked, kissing his cheek. “So, it’s all finalized. Your plan for when we’re in 1903 was reviewed by the Salvatores, Bonnie, and Elena, and they’re all on board. Thing is, they want to bring in some extra muscle in case the Heretics prove to be a problem. We’re talking about six vampire-witch hybrids. A Traveler, a siphoner, a Bennett witch, and two vampires aren’t gonna cut it against those six. We’re betting that Lily Salvatore might believe right away that the boys are her kids, but in the event she has doubts… well, we want to be safe.”

Kai pursed his lips. “Well, who else do they want to bring?”

“So… Luke, Liv, and Jo have to stay with the Ascendant in this world. Alaric is obviously gonna be there for moral support. But they’re thinking Tyler Lockwood might be someone to bring. He’s strong, and he has a personal connection to Liv. I guess Damon’s paranoid Luke and Liv might leave us behind like they did when this all went down in the first place. Luke made Liv stop her spell, and so Damon, Bonnie, and I ended up in 1994.”

“But you don’t seem to want that.”

Vivianna wrung her hands. “I haven’t crossed paths with Tyler Lockwood at all since… he was hosting my brother. And I know I would’ve had to see him at Thanksgiving. I was mentally preparing for that. But now I have to see him sooner. I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

Kai hummed. “What if we have him and Liv come by tonight? Before we go on our mission. Give me a chance to bond with my sister, and give you a chance to kind of… dissociate Tyler from Julian.”

Vivianna gulped. “Well… that’s better than any idea I could have. So let’s do it.”

Kai ended up making New York style steak, while Vivianna put together a salad and some baked potatoes. At exactly seven o’clock, Liv and Tyler knocked on their door.

“We brought cheesecake,” said Liv, stepping inside more comfortably than Tyler. After all, she’d been spending nearly every day there. “Um… Kai… Vivianna… this is Tyler.”

“Hi,” said Kai, who’d of course already met him. He shook his hand, then turned to watch as Vivianna slowly approached Tyler.

“Hey,” she murmured, waving, and quickly taking the cheesecake from Liv before darting into the kitchen.

The two siblings and the wolf all shared a look, before Kai gestured toward the living room. “Let’s relax over here for a bit.”

“She looks terrified, Kai,” whispered Liv when they heard Vivianna starting to set the table (loudly). “Are you sure we should be here?”

“I think she needs the closure,” said Kai. “Besides… well, she agreed to it.”

“Look, man,” said Tyler, “I don’t want to butt into your relationship, but are you sure she didn’t just agree to it because she didn’t want to make you mad or something?”

“Tyler,” said Liv in a warning tone.

“Our relationship isn’t like that,” said Kai, blinking several times. “I… I really don’t think she would have said it just to keep me happy. I don’t get mad at her. I can’t, really. I started to feel things for her before I stopped being a sociopath. It doesn’t make sense in my head to ever get mad at her.”

“I’m guessing she thought she’d be ready for it,” murmured Liv. “But she’s actually not.”

“Dinner’s ready,” said Vivianna from the kitchen.

The three walked in, finding that she was already seated, starting to pile things into her plate so she wouldn’t have to look up.

“This is some great steak,” said Tyler once they started to eat. He had absolutely no clue how one should go about seeing the sister of the man who briefly inhabited him. “Where did you uh, get the recipe?”

“Prison world,” said Kai between bites. “Found a cookbook, had a whole trial and error phase with it until I realized the exact ingredients I should be adding to give it this really rich flavor.”

“Usually, I prefer them more medium,” said Tyler. “Being a wolf and all. But this… medium well, almost well, it’s actually really fucking good.”

“Vivi prefers it almost completely well-done,” said Kai, eyes flickering over to Vivianna, who was still staring at her plate. “So um, Tyler, what are you actually studying at Whitmore?”

Tyler managed a weak laugh. “I’m not really studying anything specific. Just taking a few interesting classes. Playing football and lacrosse to tire myself out.”

“If running at four in the morning was a sport, he’d be doing that, too,” mentioned Liv. “Um… Vivianna… are you gonna enroll soon?”

“I don’t know,” she said in a small voice. “I’m… I’m sorry, I can’t do this.” She left her plate where it was and rushed to her room, slamming the door shut behind her. 

“Let me go and check on her,” said Kai. “Sit tight.” He got up quickly, and went in, finding her sitting on the bed, holding a pillow, and sobbing.

“Vivi,” he said gently. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have pressured you into doing this.”

“You didn’t pressure me,” she said miserably. “I thought I was ready. I thought enough time had passed. But I didn’t— I didn’t really get to grieve either of them properly. With Maria, I guess it was different. I didn’t watch her die. I didn’t have to see her in pain. She and I were close, but she wasn’t in my life as much as Julian had been. I had to… I had to get over it all so quickly because we had to survive and I couldn’t afford to break down.”

“You don’t have to bottle it up anymore,” said Kai, kneeling in front of her and taking one of her hands. “Let it out. Vivi, just let it out.”

She brought the pillow up, covering her mouth hard to muffle the scream she let out, before leaning forward so that Kai could wrap his arms around her. He rubbed her back gently, before sitting up, and tucking his hand under her legs so that he could cradle her properly.

“It’s okay,” he whispered. “I’m right here, I’ve got you.”

“My brother is dead,” she whimpered. “He’s dead and he never got to meet you, never got to see how happy you make me. He and Maria never got to have kids. Julian’s never gonna be here to be an uncle if we have kids… I’ve missed him so much. I didn’t get to say goodbye. I never got to…”

“You can say goodbye,” said Kai, stroking her hair. “I’m sure Tyler won’t object… he was the owner of the last face your brother wore. He can come in here, close his eyes, and let you say your goodbyes.”

She nodded. “Y-Yeah… I’d really like that.”

Kai let go of her briefly in order to go to the kitchen, and explain to Tyler what he needed him to do. 

In the room, Vivianna was staring at the wall, reliving her last memory of her brother.

Markos had smiled at them. “That's because you haven't set foot inside my kingdom.” He faced the woman beside him. “The spell the Travelers cast across Mystic Falls eliminates spirit magic, so while my people continue to have access to the Earth's purest magic, your friend Tyler will be stripped of everything the witches did to him, first his hybrid side, then his vampirism, and with no vampirism to keep him alive, he'll just be a boy with a werewolf gene, who happened to break his neck.”

Realizing what was going to happen, both Vivianna and Julian started to scream. But while being restrained, they were no match for the Travelers who were now forcing Julian over the border. Vivianna let out a horrified screech as she watched her brother’s host body die, and screamed once more when she was thrown at Markos’s feet.

He slammed his boot into her face to kick her down. “Let that be a lesson to you. You are not welcome to live with us. You may live, and suffer, and remember what you’ve done.” He chuckled. “Of course, you likely won't live very long. The witches will overpower a lone Traveler easily. And, of course, by yourself… your magic will be quite limited. So limited, in fact, that you’ll be reduced to being a mere human within a few years. Enjoy your misery, Vivianna.”

“Vivianna?”

She looked up as Tyler entered the room. She quickly brought up her sleeve to wipe her eyes and cleared her throat as he came to sit next to her, letting his head hang a bit once he closed his eyes. He offered her his hand, and she took it hesitantly.

She started to speak in Czech, for the sake of keeping her message private, since this wasn’t actually Julian.

“I remember how we used to fight when we were younger,” she said. “I remember how we used to be jealous of the attention the other would get from our parents. I remember one of your first spells with Traveler Magic was to make a slide over the stairs so that I wouldn’t have to walk down them. And I remember the day that our parents died, you promised me you were always going to be there, in ways they would no longer be able to.”

She started to sniffle. “You promised you’d walk me down the aisle. You promised you’d be there the day I graduated from college. You promised you’d throw me my bachelorette party and have it be full of strippers and booze. I recall that when I asked you why you’d have strippers, you said they’d actually be for you, and not for me.

“And you promised that when the time came, you’d be there to help me start my own family. You said that you’d help me find a place to live. You’d help me get furniture. You’d always be there to babysit if I needed a break from motherhood. And now, I’m going to have to do it all without you. At least I learned to be a good cook from Maria. But there was so much you still had to teach me. There was so much our parents taught you that I was too young to remember. You were supposed to pass that along. And now you’re not here. And I don’t know how to cope.

“I want to be so, so angry that you’re gone. But I can’t help but feel happiness, knowing that you and Maria aren’t separated, even in death. I feel happiness knowing you both likely found peace together. And maybe are even watching over me right now. I miss you, Julian. I want more than anything for you to be here right now. But I know I can get through it. Because I had you for twenty-two years. And now, it's your turn to relax.”

She looked over at Tyler, who had opened his eyes once he sensed she was done talking. He opened his arms, offering to hug her, and she leaned in, resting her head on his shoulder, and taking several deep breaths as he rubbed her back.

“Thank you,” she told him. “For giving me a chance to say goodbye. I needed that.”

“I know I’m not your brother,” he said. “But Liv is probably gonna be your sister-in-law soon. And considering how things are going between her and me… I might be a part of that family, too. If you ever need to talk… I'm here for you. Just know that.”

_

That had definitely improved her mood for the mission the next day.

“This world was made in October,” said Kai, once everyone had gathered in the woods of Mystic Falls. “It was cold. Snowy. So I’m pretty sure the jackets are a good idea. Everyone has one, right?”

They nodded, starting to slip them on.

“Remember the plan,” said Stefan, looking around to make sure everyone understood. “As soon as we get in there, Elena’s booking it to Nova Scotia. Kai and Bonnie need to find the new Ascendant. Vivianna, Tyler, Damon, and I are going to start looking for my mom, Valerie, and the other Heretics. Chances are, they’re in Mystic Falls, since my mom knew the house would be there. But we aren’t completely sure. They could have gone their separate ways. We’re not staying in there too long. Just the time it takes for Elena to come back with the cure. Whoever isn’t back by then, in terms of the heretics, isn’t gonna get out with us. So we gotta hope they’re all together.”

They nodded. Liv, Luke, and Jo linked hands, the Ascendant in Kai’s palm. Bonnie used a small knife to cut into her hand, letting her blood drip over it. From there, everyone who was going in put their hand under Kai’s. Jo put hers on his shoulder, instead, since she and the twins were sustaining the spell from the outside.

“Sangiema meam et nos mundo carcerema,” chanted Bonnie quietly, before the Parker witches joined her. “Sangiema meam et nos mundo carcerema.”

There was a fuckton of snow.

They appeared in a clearing in the forest, with snowflakes falling all over them. Obviously, Kai’s first instinct was to tilt his head back, sticking his tongue out to catch the snowflakes.

“Isn’t this a picturesque slice of hell?” muttered Damon as Stefan, Tyler, and Vivianna looked around, taking in their surroundings. 

“Be back in around twenty-two hours,” said Elena, before zipping off. 

“Let’s get started on the Locator Spell,” said Bonnie, extracting a map of 2012 Mystic Falls and setting it over the snow. “If we’re lucky, the Ascendant will be in the same place as the Heretics.”

Stefan led the way toward the old Salvatore House once Kai and Bonnie had knelt down, starting to chant. 

“Definitely don’t feel too great being back here,” muttered Damon once they approached the estate. “Too many bad memories.”

“Let’s just hope we don’t have to be here too long,” said Stefan, opening the door for them.

The lamps were lit inside the house, which seemed to be a good indication that someone was living here. They heard nothing outright, and simply crept from the entrance hall into the foyet, where a fire was burning.

“Oh, great,” said Damon, going over to the mantle, where there were pictures of him and his brother when they were kids. “Nice to see she kept these up.”

“I’m taking these,” said Stefan, grabbing the pictures and putting them in his pocket.

“What for?” asked Tyler curiously.

“Because Elena and Caroline aren’t here,” said Stefan. “And I think they’d like to have these.”

“So, you and Caroline?” asked Vivianna, tilting her head.

Stefan blushed, as if not wanting to say anything in front of Tyler. “It’s okay, man,” said the wolf. “We’re not together anymore. Speaking of, why didn’t she want to come?”

“She’s doing me a gigantic favor with Enzo,” said Stefan. “He’s been bothering someone I happen to want to keep safe, and she agreed to pitch in.”

“Are you sure it doesn’t have anything to do with V-Card Val?” asked Damon, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Is that heretic girl the first woman you slept with?” inquired Tyler.

Stefan turned even redder. “Um… well, yeah. Caroline didn’t have a problem with that. She knows it was a very minor thing before I even turned.”

“Sure,” said Damon. “Control freak Caroline definitely didn’t have an issue with it.”

“Can we focus?” said Vivianna. “If your mother is here, where might she be? Her old room, or something? If the heretics are still up and about, they may have put up Silencing Spells for privacy. That may be why no one’s approached us.”

There was a shuffling sound outside, and the door opened. They all got in defensive positions, before seeing it was just Bonnie and Kai.

“Ascendant’s somewhere in this house,” announced Kai. “Which means the heretics are probably here, too.”

“Then why hasn’t anyone come up to us?” asked Tyler. “Wouldn’t they at least be able to sense they’re not alone?”

The door opened again, and they all turned to see a woman walking in, holding firewood. She looked incredibly confused until her eyes fell on the two Salvatore brothers.

“Damon?” she whispered. “Stefan?”

Damon’s eyes widened in shock. He hadn’t been expecting her to recognize them. “Hello, mother,” he said.

Lily slowly moved closer, before dropping the firewood into a nearby bin. “You look so grown up,” she mentioned, though there was a clear hesitation when she reached her hand out for them to shake. “Would you all like some tea?”

“Um, sure,” said Stefan, not wanting to be rude.

She smiled, and went into the next room, returning with a kettle full of water and a tray filled with teacups and saucers. She took the firewood, and started a proper fire before placing the kettle inside to start boiling the water.

She laid the teacups and saucers out, and returned to the kitchen to fetch some tea bags, which she counted before setting on the tray. 

“There was a time I marked days on a calendar,” she told them, once she started pouring the water into the cups. “I gave up after a few years, but, judging by your bizarre attire…”

“You’ve been in here for a long time,” said Stefan, sitting right beside his mother. Damon sat on the other side of his brother, while the others piled onto a nearby couch. “Over a century.”

“Yeah, we would have come by sooner, but we thought you were safe and sound in the family crypt,” said Damon with a fake smile. “My bad.”

“Technically,” said Lily, dipping a tea bag into each cup, “I did die in 1858, after a nurse in the TB ward fed me vampire blood.”

Damon held up his hands. “And you never thought to stop by and clear things up?”

“So,” interrupted Vivianna, sensing the tension. “Lily, why don’t you give us your version of what got you in here?”

Chapter Text

Lily seemed more comfortable with this new topic.

“It was October 31st, 1903,” she said, reaching for a jar under the table, which had blood inside of it, and a small dropper on the lid. “I had just arrived in New York Harbor. The night sky was alive with this beautiful shimmering light. And, out of nowhere, a coven of witches attacked. When I woke, they were gone. Everyone was gone.” She laughed nervously. “That night, the sky danced with colors again, and it's done so every night since.”

“It’s called ‘prison,’” Damon cut in. “You must have pissed off a lot of people.”

Lily was clearly uncomfortable. “That seems like forever ago.”

Damon obviously had no inclinations to hear her side of the story anymore. He gestured to the jar of blood. “You on a diet?”

“Damon,” said Stefan, giving him a hard look. 

Lily seemed alright with answering this. “I depleted every slaughterhouse within walking distance, and every butcher's shop along the hellish trek from New York to Mystic Falls. This is the last of the blood here. Two drops a week, just to stay awake.”

“That sounds awful,” said Stefan gently.

“I manage,” said Lily with a smile. “I heard you boys turned during the war.” She started to sip her tea. “Your father must have been horrified.”

“He was,” said Damon. “And then, Stefan ripped his throat out.”

“Damon!” hissed Stefan. 

Lily apparently found this amusing, and giggled, which caused her to spit out her tea. “I apologize— it’s cruel to laugh. But… good for you, Stefan. I truly hated that man.”

“Oh, we know you did,” said Damon coldly. “So much so that you left your kids with him, faked your own death, and went out to join the Ripper Coalition.”

“Damon,” said Bonnie more sternly. “Maybe now’s not the time to be having this conversation.”

Lily must have been thinking the same thing. “It’s nice to see that you’ve grown into yourself, Damon,” she said with a tight smile. “And look at you, Stefan. You two look more like brothers now that you’re older.”

“I have a question,” said Stefan, biting his lip. “Did you… did you come to see us? After you turned? I have a vision from the night of your funeral… you appeared like an angel, promising me that everything was going to be okay.”

Lily had a pained look in her eyes. “I had just turned and… I wanted to see my boys. But, when I leaned down to whisper in your ear, the hunger surged. All I could hear was the pulse in your veins, and all I could smell was the blood. So, I fled. For your sake. I was so new to the bloodlust, I was afraid I would hurt you and your brother. You weren’t imagining it, Stefan.”

“Why didn’t you ever come back?” asked Stefan.

“Shame. Guilt. By the time I actually had my appetite under control, I was already in here.”

“Well,” said Damon, clapping his hands, not even touching his tea, despite everyone else at least taking a few sips. “Pack your bags. We’re getting out of here.”

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to the others?” asked Lily. “I’m not quite sure my companions and I can trust this many unfamiliar people.”

“We’re not leaving right away,” noted Stefan. “One of our other friends, Elena, is running an errand in here. She probably won’t be back til tomorrow. It gives you all time to gather whatever you need.” He gestured to the couch. “Well, that’s Tyler, and that’s Bonnie, the Bennett witch who’s gonna let us out. Next to her is Vivianna, and that’s Kai, from the Gemini Coven.”

“I’m one of the good ones, though,” said Kai quickly, seeing Lily’s eyes darkened a bit. “I’m a siphoner, too. Just like the heretics were. Speaking of them, where are they?”

Lily looked significantly more happy now that she knew who they were. “Come. I’ll show you.”

She led them down into the basement, holding a lamp to light the way. They all stopped in their tracks when they found a table in the basement, where six desiccated vampires were propped up, seated as if they were dolls.

“Everyone,” said Lily happily. “Meet my sons, Damon and Stefan, and their friends. They’re here to take us home.”

“How long have you all um… traveled together?” asked Stefan quietly.

“We became a group not long before 1864,” said Lily. “From there, we went everywhere together. They happened to be on the boat with me that night… poor souls.”

Damon wasn’t hiding the fact that he was cringing. “These… poor souls… don’t happen to have the same affinity for rolling heads, do they?” However, he already knew the answer. They were all Rippers. 

“On the contrary,” said Lily calmly, “these people saved me from that part of myself. I was banished here because I was a monster. I drank with no remorse from whatever human I could sink my teeth into. But, locked in this cage, I was forced to confront the animal I had become.” She went toward one of the male vampires, adjusting the handkerchief in his chest pocket. “And, as we ran out of resources, my friends sacrificed their rations for me. I knew if I drank everything, as every bone in my body demanded, there wouldn't be enough to wake them. So, I learned to control my bloodlust, for them. These people made me feel human again. I'll fetch the rest of the blood so we can revive them.”

“One question first,” piped up Bonnie. “Do you um, happen to have the Ascendant? We’ll need that to get out.”

Lily nodded, and gestured to a nearby table, where a much bulkier version of the 1994 Ascendant lay. She then excused herself, and went back upstairs for the blood.

“I’m definitely creeped out,” mumbled Tyler. “I hope Elena gets back, soon.”

“She’s traveling over a thousand miles,” replied Stefan. “Even at top speed, with as few stops as possible, it’s gonna take way longer.”

Lily returned with the blood, and smiled at everyone before taking the dropper and starting to drip the blood onto the lips of the male vampire from before. “Time to wake up.”

They had to watch as she took her time, very carefully prying their mouths open, dripping at most ten drops in each heretic’s mouth before moving onto the next one. There was only a very small amount of blood left in the jar when she’d made her rounds, and it was clear that it wasn’t enough for the heretics to wake up just yet.

“It would appear we require more blood,” said Lily, pursing her lips. “Anyone willing to donate?”

“I can do it,” offered Vivianna. 

“Um, no you can’t,” said Kai, lowering her arm when she lifted it. “But I can. It’s safer that way. If they start to feed too much, I can siphon and get them to stop.”

Vivianna raised her brows. “So you’re gonna provide blood for all six of them? How about three and three?”

“There’s four of you here that have mortal blood to offer,” said Damon, snapping his fingers. “Get to it.”

“Bonnie shouldn’t give blood, though,” said Vivianna. “We need her blood for the spell. It needs to remain reserved just for that.”

“I don’t mind giving blood,” said Tyler. “That way, if Kai and Vivianna do it, each of us gets assigned to two heretics.”

“Wonderful,” said Lily, who looked rather impatient that they were taking so long to decide this.

“Take it easy,” said Damon, seeing the slightly crazed look in her eyes as the three donors started to roll up their sleeves. “We’re gonna be here for awhile.”

“It’s been many, many years since they were all up and about,” said Lily, looking at Stefan, as if hoping he’d understand her side of it. “I cannot help but be rather anxious.”

“I get it,” said Stefan cordially, nodding at her. “I’d be anxious, too.” He looked over at one of the females, who Vivianna was currently feeding her blood to. Damon figured that must be Valerie Tulle.

It took around an hour for all of them to wake up and be completely satisfied. The heretics fed just enough from each donor before sitting back, taking a moment to breathe and collect themselves.

“Lily!” said one of the males, smiling at her. “Isn’t this a happy occasion?”

“It certainly is, Malcolm,” said Lily. “Everyone else… this is Malcolm…” she went around the table, putting her hands on the heretics’ shoulders to indicate who was who, “Oscar, Valerie, Beau, Nora, and Mary Louise.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Bonnie respectfully, though she shrank back a bit once they all started to get up. They weren’t exactly much bigger than her, but the females were wearing poofy dresses that were typical in the early 1900s, not to mention they all had cold stares that sent chills down the witch’s spine. It made them look rather intimidating.

“We’re going to be free,” said Lily happily. “Take some time to gather anything you wish to take. It’s been over a century, so you may want a keepsake from this time.”

Nora and Mary Louise said nothing, linking hands before brushing past the group and heading up to their rooms. Beau simply nodded his head at them before doing the same thing.

“Damon Salvatore!” said Oscar, coming up to him, opening his arms as if expecting a hug. “It’s good to see you’re well, old friend.”

Damon looked like he’d seen a ghost. “Hold on… you know me…?”

“You’re Lily’s son,” said Oscar. “The hero soldier. We… we met at a bar near Gettysburg, July of 1863.”

“I sent Oscar to check on you,” Lily told Damon, seeing he still appeared confused. “I wished to know you were happy, before my companions and I left to England.”

Only then did Damon seem to remember. “I was fighting for the South,” he muttered. “Not exactly a time I like to reminisce about.”

“Yeah, you had the same opinion back then,” said Oscar. “Hated everything your side believed in. You wanted to desert, but feared shaming your old man.”

Damon narrowed his eyes. “You compelled me to take sick leave. The next day, my entire regiment was slaughtered in Gettysburg. You saved my life.”

Oscar shook his head. “I couldn't compel you back then. Wasn’t a heretic yet. All I did was talk to you, from one human to another. I told you to follow your heart.” He started to laugh. “I don’t have anything I wanna take with me. I’m ready to get out of here. But if we’re gonna have to wait for someone before we go, then you should have a drink with me.”

He put his arm around Damon, leading him away. Lily smiled at this, though it fell slightly when she saw Stefan approaching Valerie. 

“Maybe we should go to the living room or something,” suggested Vivianna. “Give everyone some time to um… adjust.”

“Is there anything you need me to fetch, Lily?” asked the remaining heretic. 

“I have nothing I aim to take with me,” she replied. “Gather whatever you need, Malcolm.”

He didn’t seem to trust leaving her alone with the group. “Actually, I’d prefer to remain here. I don’t quite have anything I want to bring, either. Perhaps this group could enlighten us on why they are here.”

“We’d be happy to,” said Vivianna, leading Kai, Bonnie, Tyler, Lily, and Malcolm upstairs.

They sat down in the parlor, able to hear Damon and Oscar talking in another room. Joking, clearly, because there was the sound of a bit of laughter.

“It’s good to hear Damon so comfortable now,” said Lily, appearing a bit hurt that her son was happier to see an old friend than his own mother. “And Stefan…”

“Just reconnecting with an old friend, too,” said Bonnie. “I think he and Valerie knew each other briefly, and he just wanted to say hi.”

Lily tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, as if trying to overhear Stefan and Valerie. However, she must not have heard anything, because both she and Malcolm looked a bit suspicious.

Kai decided to draw the attention back to them. “As I already mentioned, I’m a siphoner from the Gemini Coven. What I didn’t say is that I was in a prison world, too. Built in 1994 to punish me for something I did back when I was a sociopath.”

Malcolm scoffed. “Does one simply stop being a sociopath in this day and age?”

“No. Vivi healed me.” Kai put his hand on hers, and squeezed it. “I wanted to destroy the Gemini Coven. It was the first thing on my to-do list when I got out of there. But instead, we found a way to change things. Vivi’s a Traveler. She can break the curse that forces the Gemini Coven to complete the Merge. As soon as we get out of here, she’s gonna do that. At the moment, my father is in power. But as soon as he’s not, my younger siblings are gonna take up leadership. Reform the Coven. Make sure they can’t make any more prison worlds ever again.”

“And we’re supposed to believe that it will all go off without a hitch?” said Malcolm, glaring at Vivianna. “The Travelers were the ones who cursed us to begin with. How do we know this isn’t a ploy to steal our magic?”

“Malcolm,” said Lily, “if you recall, a group of Travelers did help us, once.”

“Oh, yes,” said Malcolm with a wicked smile. “They provided a generous meal after getting us safe passage through Europe.”

Vivianna looked away uncomfortably, and Kai tensed. “She’s the last one left, so anything rude you have to say about the Travelers, swallow it. Vivi isn’t like that.”

“Well, clearly not to you,” said Malcolm. “It would not take a twenty-first century expert to see that she provides you with a different sort of benefit.”

“Why don’t you shut up?” snapped Tyler, unable to control his temper. “She’s the one that wanted to get you all out, you know? All of us were skeptical, but it’s thanks to her that any of you are even awake, so don’t talk to her like that.”

Lily held up her hand before Malcolm could do anything. “The boy is right. We must be thankful that we are being rescued. Please, remain calm, Malcolm.”

He sat more stiffly than before. “Yes, Lily. Forgive me.”

Obviously, he would have done anything if it meant her approval. Vivianna figured he wanted to be the favorite. 

“We look forward to giving you all a chance to be free,” said Vivianna with a slight smile. 

“And we appreciate that,” said Lily. “Perhaps I should get started on a meal. If we’re going to be here for a longer period of time, you mortals must eat, especially after donating your blood.”

Kai and Tyler didn’t exactly feel lightheaded or anything, but neither was going to say no to free food. They went to the kitchen immediately to let Lily know what kind of food they’d actually like. Malcolm remained with Bonnie and Vivianna, who’d put her legs up on one of the couches.

“Sorry,” she said, noticing Malcolm was staring at her in disbelief. “I don’t feel too well. I think I lost a bit too much blood earlier.”

“Jo’s right about you,” said Bonnie, ignoring the heretic. “You don’t look healthy at all.”

“I ate,” said Vivianna with a shrug. “I just didn’t expect to lose blood.”

“I hope it’s not a side effect of that tea, Vivianna. Jo didn’t exactly tell you what would happen when you’re not on the ah… cycle. Have you been drinking it daily?”

“Every other day. It tastes good, so I really don’t mind it.”

“Um… maybe don’t take it that often. I think it’s affecting your blood iron and sugar, ‘cause you look like crap. It could be messing with your hormones.”

“Oh god, please don’t say that,” said Vivianna worriedly. “If it messes with my hormones, it may have the opposite effect than what’s intended.”

Malcolm cleared his throat. “When the bloody hell is your friend supposed to return? This is taking far too long.”

“She’ll be here soon,” said Bonnie with wild irritation. “I get that you want to get out, but the errand she’s running is kind of important.”

Thankfully, it didn’t take Elena the full twenty-two hours. She came back in around nineteen, looking exhausted, but nodding her head to show she had the cure. The large group gathered back in the clearing, putting their hands together over the Ascendant. In the blink of an eye, they were returned to modern day Mystic Falls, where Alaric, Jo, Liv, and Luke were still waiting for them, albeit looking tired as well.

“Oh, good, you’re back,” said Jo, catching Vivianna as she stumbled forward. “You alright?”

“Better,” she said. “Lost a lot of blood. I just need to get home and rest.”

The heretics were momentarily not going to be their problem. The others took charge of taking them to the Salvatore House in order to get them reacquainted with the world.

Vivianna had been in charge of putting the finishing touches on her spell.

“Are you sure you can do this?” asked Kai, worriedly. “You still look sick.”

She shrugged. “It’s not gonna stop right away. I already got some blood put into me at the hospital, and they already started to run some tests. I’m as good as I can be. This needs to be done today. I think I just need to stop taking the tea. It’s tasty and it helps but I think Bonnie’s right. It wasn’t really helpful today when I had to give blood. Not sure about the medical explanation for it, but…”

Kai rubbed the back of his head. “The way I’m thinking about it… uh… the tea keeps your hormonal cycle away from ‘ovulation’ and stuff so that there’s less risk of pregnancy. It also stops your uterus from breaking down every month. So I’m guessing that some magical property is being applied to stop that bleeding. And now you’re not used to bleeding so much, and that’s why it made you sick?”

She smiled slightly. “I trust your reasoning. Let’s do this, shall we?”

“Right now?” he asked, taking her hand when she offered it. 

She nodded. “I’m already channeling the twins. I have as many dark objects as they could get. I’m ready.”

Kai looked excited. “Okay. Alrighty… let’s do this.”

Vivianna put the dark objects in a circle, and had their linked hands rest over them. “Přerušení blíženci spojit prokletí, zlomenina blíženci splynout klení, zrušit vůdce. Přerušení blíženci spojit prokletí, zlomenina blíženci splynout klení, zrušit vůdce….”

There was a prickling and tingling sensation in Kai’s chest, as if someone was tickling him, but also stabbing him with the tip of a very sharp pencil. He tried to hold still, but he ended up letting out a grunt of pain, his side starting to ache as though he’d been stabbed.

Vivianna opened one eye, looking at him, and knowing that it had to be working. He was a twin. His previous obligation of having to Merge with Jo was being stripped away. She couldn’t afford to stop.

She continued to chant, over and over. The wind was starting to howl outside, and Kai felt a fire igniting in his core, starting to make its way up to his lungs. He squeezed his own eyes shut, trying not to disturb Vivianna as she repeated the words over and over, until—

“It stopped,” he said, feeling completely back to normal. “It just… stopped.”

“Your dad’s gonna know immediately,” Vivianna murmured, looking tired, but not much more than she’d already been. “He’ll feel the leadership stripping away. I don’t think Luke and Liv are gonna make it to Friendsgiving tomorrow. They have to go and claim leadership before someone else does.”

“You did it, Vivi,” said Kai, getting to his feet, then helping her up. “You just… undid the Gemini Merge Curse.”

She blushed. “I did. It’s all thanks to the dark objects, really, I just…” she frowned. “Well… I depleted them entirely of their magic. So… that’s it.”

“You don’t have any more Traveler magic,” Kai said solemnly. “But hey— hey, it won’t be for long, okay? I’m gonna start preparing to break your curse now, and then, you’ll be able to do Traditional Magic, no problem. How do you feel?”

“I’m really hungry,” she said. “Do you think you can find time in your busy pie-making schedule to make me a teeny tiny apple pie, just for me?”

He smirked. “I can definitely find the time for that. You’re still not gonna cook?”

She winked. “I want to see you do the work. I can help you carry stuff out the door, but I need to take my time getting pretty tomorrow.”

“Shut up, you’re already pretty.”

“Well, maybe I am, but I do want to dress to impress. Do you think the heretics are settling in properly?”

“Only one way to find out.”

Vivianna nodded, bringing out her phone and dialing Elena’s number. “Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Less tired,” said Elena. “You will not believe how shitty a person can feel after vamp-speeding for over two thousand miles. It’s… quiet here. Which either means that the heretics are plotting to kill us, or they’re settling in nicely.”

“How did they take the whole ending up in a new century thing?”

“Surprisingly well. But it looks like Stefan and Caroline are gonna have some issues. I don’t know what the hell Stefan and Valerie had but… seems to have been something kinda serious. Caroline just told me that Stefan hasn’t been returning her calls.”

“Yikes. That doesn’t bode well. Is Friendsgiving still happening?”

“Um… I mean, I want it to, but Liv and Luke just said they can’t make it. Jo and Ric are skeptical about being in a room full of heretics. And if Liv isn’t gonna be here, Tyler’s probably gonna spend it with Matt, who was planning to go visit Jeremy. And now Bonnie wants to go with them, so it’s looking like it’s gonna be me, Damon, Stefan, and the heretics. Plus Enzo. Apparently, Damon invited him, even though Stefan said that Enzo shouldn’t be allowed to come. You guys don’t have to come if you don’t feel safe. Congratulations, by the way!”

“Congratulations…?”

Elena paused. “Oh, shit. I… I completely misread the text…”

“Elena, what the hell are you talking about?”

“Oh my… oh god… Jo texted me the news and I thought she said she’d told you, but she said she told—”

“Um, Vivi?”

She lowered the phone from her ear as Kai came over, holding up his so that she could see the screen, where Jo had texted him the results of the blood test.

“I’m gonna have to call you back, Elena,” said Vivianna, her mouth going dry as she ended the call. “No… no… but the tea was supposed to…”

Kai turned red. “According to Jo, the tea doesn’t do shit if you’re already pregnant before you start taking it.”

Chapter Text

They were both in denial.

“No,” said Vivianna, once they were in the hospital, waiting to be seen by a doctor. “This is absurd. I haven’t had morning sickness. I haven’t felt anything. I had my period in October. The tea stopped it in November. I can’t be pregnant. That would mean I got pregnant right after we got out of the prison world, which is just crazy!”

“Yeah, it’s crazy,” agreed Kai. “Your hormones would have changed immediately. You would have felt something. This has to be some sort of fluke.”

“I can’t be pregnant,” said Vivianna. “We were just talking about how risky it could be for me. Which again begs the question, how is it possible that I didn’t feel anything? If this kid is so dangerous to me, how—?”

Jo opened the door, and the two immediately burst out all of their questions, which caused the other woman’s eyes to widen. “Woah, woah—” she held her hands up to silence them. “Calm down. Calm down. We’re gonna get all these questions answered right now.”

She came to sit with them, bringing out Vivianna’s medical chart. “Your blood test results showed lower iron levels, lower blood sugar, and elevated beta-hCG. You’re pregnant, Vivianna.” 

“No I am not!” she snapped, not meaning to be rude, but still unable to believe it. “The test has to be wrong! The tea is screwing up the results!”

Jo sighed. “If you want, we can admit you for observation. Day after next, that tea should be out of your system, and we can do another test.”

“Yes, do that,” said Vivianna. “Because I’m not pregnant. And don’t even think of giving me an ultrasound. I know that in the early stages, you guys stick something up there ‘cause you can’t see the embryo with one of the other ultrasounds.” 

Jo cleared her throat. “We will discuss ultrasounds after your next blood test. At that time, we’ll also have you do a second urine test—”

“A second one? I haven’t even had the first—”

Jo planted a cup and lid into her hand, which had already been prepared with a label listing her name and birthdate. “Bathroom’s around the corner, to your left. Take your time.”

Vivianna almost wanted to crush the cup with her palm, which would have been insanely difficult considering it was plastic. She got to her feet, shaking her head as she walked out.

“The blood test could be wrong, right?” said Kai desperately. “She can’t be pregnant, Jo. She can’t be. If she is, then that means I knocked her up before we discussed how dangerous it could be. We aren’t ready yet.”

“I know that,” said Jo. “But I’m pretty sure that the test is right. Let’s see what this one says. We’ll get it rushed to the lab, and they’ll let me know.”

Vivianna and Kai had to wait about half an hour before Jo came back with the results.

“Urine test says the same thing as your blood test,” said Jo. 

“Well, it’s wrong!” Vivianna exclaimed. “I drank the damn tea, it should have done something.”

“Like I told Kai, the tea will do nothing to prevent conception if you’re already pregnant at the time that you start taking the tea.”

“Then explain why I had no symptoms.”

“The tea is supposed to control your hormone levels. So it must have muted the symptoms. It was so early on, your body hadn’t started to change drastically enough for you to have noticed something. The bleeding you experienced in October could have been from something else. Sometimes there is bleeding after the implantation, and because of the tea, it could have taken time for the blood to make its way out. The tea wasn’t ever supposed to stop your period entirely. If I had known your period this month didn’t happen at all, I would have brought you in for a test sooner.”

“Say that she is pregnant,” said Kai, though he quickly added, “which, of course, she isn’t,” after the murderous look that Vivianna shot at him, “then how far along is… it?”

“About a month and a half. Assuming a full-term birth anywhere between thirty-nine and forty-one weeks, you’re looking at going into labor anytime between July 8th and July 22nd, 2013.”

Kai tried to make a joke. “Maybe it should wait til July 23 so it can be a Leo and not a Cancer.”

“You don’t know anything about Zodiac signs, and it shows,” said Jo, who was trying her best to be patient. “I know this is scary, but—”

“It’s terrifying,” said Vivianna. “You’re trying to tell me that I’m six weeks pregnant. Do you have any idea how much alcohol I drank since we got out of the prison world?”

“Okay, it’s not that much,” said Kai before Jo could get worried. “But um… we both started drinking more in the prison world, so…”

“You do realize this baby is a Traveler, a Gemini witch, and a siphoner all at once?” said Jo. “At least from what we’re expecting? It won’t be affected by that as easily as other embryos.”

She got to her feet. “A nurse will be coming by to get you admitted. They’ll get you comfortable until we can ensure the tea is out of your system. We’ll get an IV in you to help clear that out sooner.”

“I can’t spend Thanksgiving in a hospital!” cried Vivianna. “We were supposed to go to Friendsgiving—”

“—with a group of heretics,” said Jo. “Even if by some miracle, you aren’t pregnant, that’s the last place you want to be.”

“Do you think they knew?” asked Kai. “They should have been able to hear the heartbeat, right?”

Jo pursed her lips. “Well, ultrasounds don’t pick it up til about six and a half weeks. But they’re vampires so they could have potentially heard it.”

“There were so many people in that one house,” said Vivianna dismissively. “And since I’m not pregnant, they heard nothing.”

“Well, it was just you, me, and Bonnie that had a firm heartbeat. All the others had dead people heartbeats.”

“You’re really going to continue denying this, aren’t you?” said Jo, tilting her head when she watched Vivianna starting to pinch her own arms. 

“You were the one who told Kai that a pregnancy like this could kill me,” she said, staring at her in disbelief. “Don’t you think you’d be panicked and in denial, too?”

“Just stay calm. We’ll wait a few days and redo the blood and urine tests. If those are positive, then we’ll do an ultrasound to confirm. Does that sound good to you?”

“Fine,” said Vivianna, just wanting her gone. “Whatever.”

A nurse had taken them upstairs to the maternity ward, getting them checked into a room. Vivianna wasn’t yet made to wear a hospital gown, but she could see the neat stack in the corner bureau.

“How are we gonna afford this?” muttered Kai. “Do you have enough money for a two night hospital stay? Which um, begs the question, why do we have to stay?”

“Jo probably wants to make absolutely sure the tea isn’t in my system.” Vivianna sat on the bed, bringing her knees to her chest. “This can’t be happening right now, Malachai. This is the worst possible time it could happen.”

“Look, if you’re worried about the heretics—”

“I’m worried about your dad!” she shrieked. “A mere two hours ago, I did the spell that stripped away his leadership. He’s gonna know that we’re out of the prison world. He’s gonna come looking for us, and last time he thought I was pregnant, he beat me up and left my stomach bruised. This time, there might actually be an embryo in there, and it— it could— I can’t handle that! If… if we were to find out I’m pregnant and I lose it, I can’t handle that! I’ve lost everything good in my life. I can’t survive a miscarriage, I can’t. I’d lose my mind.”

“If you are pregnant,” said Kai, taking her hands, “you will not have a miscarriage. I’m not gonna let that happen, okay? Sociopathic me would be running to Europe right now. This me? I’m not gonna leave. I’m gonna stay right here and if you are, in fact, pregnant, then we’ll… we’ll figure it out.”

“We’re not ready for this,” she said, starting to cry. Deep down, she knew the tests weren’t wrong. “Malachai, I’m twenty-two. We’re basically both twenty-two. We don’t know shit about being parents. We live in a world that’s so dangerous and unpredictable and this kid could end up putting a target on our backs! I heard the horror stories about how the witches pursued the mother of the tribrid. I heard that they ripped that baby out of her womb and it killed her. And then they sacrificed the baby. Is that going to be our kid’s fate? Fuel for a witch sacrifice?”

“You know what that lady didn’t have?” Kai said. “She didn’t have magic. We do. The Gemini Coven… as soon as Liv and Luke get their respect, as soon as they start enforcing a change, that Coven is gonna protect us. They’re gonna protect all of us.”

“No they won’t,” she sobbed, covering her face. “I’m their worst enemy. Your people already think every Traveler is a whore and all they’re gonna do is treat me like shit and try to hurt me. They’re gonna know I’m the one who let the heretics out and they’re gonna know I’m the one who took your dad out of power. Do you think they’re gonna give a crap about protecting this kid?”

“Vivi,” said Kai, bringing her hands down. “Vivi, look at me. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you. We have to… we have to go a little bit at a time. Let’s just get through today. Processing everything. Talking about what we’ll do when we get the test results the day after next. Then tomorrow, we’ll get through with a different motivation. All the way until July. And when July comes, we’ll have made it through the most uncertain part. And then, we’re gonna prove to anyone who doubts us that we can be the best fucking parents ever.”

“Easy for you to say, you don’t have to give up alcohol for the next nine months!” she said miserably. “You have your siblings. You’ve lived longer, you’ve been able to learn more. I can’t do this. I thought my mom would be here when I went through this. My dad… Julian… Maria… I don’t have anybody.”

“We have… friends, you know. We’re not all that close, but they’re not gonna leave us to deal with this on our own. You heard how excited Elena was. I bet she’ll be thrilled to help. And Caroline— Caroline’s gonna need something to take her mind off of the fact that Stefan’s with this Valerie chick. Caroline loves kids. And get this— Caroline has a mom. Caroline’s mom can give you all the advice you could ever want.”

Vivianna just continued to cry, leaning forward and burying her head in his chest. “It’s gonna fucking kill me,” she whimpered. “I’m not even… I’m not even gonna get to hold my baby… I’m not gonna make it to July…”

“Don’t say that,” he said, though he felt a chill go down his spine with her words. What if it was true? What if that embryo ended up depleting her of every last bit of her strength? What if it ended up killing her? What if the baby had to be extracted from her dying body when it was too early? What if she was left in a vegetative state or worse, dead?

He cradled her head, trying to think of what to say to her. But nothing came to mind. They simply didn’t know. He wanted to tear up, realizing that this could be a countdown. To her last day on Earth. He couldn't do this without her. If she died and the baby lived, he couldn’t be a single dad. 

“You’re not gonna die, Vivi,” he whispered, though he wasn’t sure he believed it. “You’re not gonna die, I’m not gonna let you die…”

Vivianna was sullen the next day. Kai had brought her some pie after she’d been made to eat the meal at the hospital. She’d looked at it sadly, feeling sick just from the smell. She’d thrown up twice in the evening, and the morning afterward, had had to be attached to an IV because she’d started to become dehydrated.

She was a bit stronger once Jo came around to conduct the blood and urine test. Vivianna had trudged to the bathroom, dragging the IV with her. She emerged with the urine, which was sent right to the lab, and sat with Jo to get her blood drawn.

At the end of that day, they had their answer. 

“Blood test and urine test say the same thing,” said Jo, bringing an ultrasound machine into their room. “Okay. So, we have a lot to talk about. Do you have any questions before we start?”

“Just do it,” said Vivianna, shaking her head and lifting her legs. “Just… go for it.”

Kai sat beside her, holding her hand as Jo got started on the ultrasound. The screen was dark at first, until Jo got it into a better position, and pointed at a barely-visible little blob.

“There it is,” she told them gently. “There’s your baby. It’s called an embryo right now. I don’t have what I need to make a 3-Dimensional picture, but the internet is a marvel, so—” she held up her phone, showing a picture of what a baby looked like at 6 weeks.

“Ew,” said Vivianna, covering her mouth. “That doesn’t look remotely human. Is that a mean thing to say?”

“It looks like a dinosaur,” said Kai with a nervous laugh. “Or like a pork rind.”

Jo half-smiled. “They’re not the prettiest right now, but they’ll get better looking. So… baby is about the size of a lentil at the moment. You’re gonna start experiencing morning sickness. You’ll feel the need to pee a lot, and your breasts will start to swell. I’m gonna get you started on some prenatal vitamins. I really need you to avoid caffeine and alcohol. Probably seafood too.”

“Okay,” said Vivianna quietly. “Um… anything else?”

“Until you know more, just sit tight. Relax. Don’t overexert yourself. No magic whatsoever. You need dark objects to do it, and it’s not safe. The baby may have Traveler blood and be unaffected by it, but we don’t want to risk it, okay?” She clicked something on the screen, causing them to see several lines. “That’s your baby’s heartbeat right now. Soon enough, you’ll be able to hear it.”

“Wait,” said Kai. “If this is dangerous because her body can’t handle too much magic… should we rush to get the spell on her done? The one that’ll let her do Traditional Magic?”

“Don’t do spells on her,” said Jo sternly. “Don’t even siphon from her. This spell is going to have to wait. Is there anything you need to talk about?”

Vivianna just sighed. “No. It’s just… taking its sweet time to really sink in. I’m gonna be a mom.”

“And I’m gonna be a dad,” said Kai. “So do we know if dinosaur baby is a boy or a girl yet?”

“We won’t be able to tell for a while,” said Jo. “Let’s try to do ultrasounds every week. It’s very important we monitor the baby, because sooner or later, it’s gonna start exhibiting magic, and we need to know the exact moment it starts to siphon. If it does. So that we can make sure it doesn’t get out of hand. You doing okay there, Vivianna?”

“I think I might pass out just thinking about this,” she said, massaging her temples. “But… alright. I’m pregnant. There, I said it. I accepted it. Who knows?”

“I only told Elena because she was asking how your blood test went. I’m not sure if she told anyone.”

“Well, we need to find out. No one can know until we ensure your dad isn’t gonna come storming over to try and cause a miscarriage again.”

Jo shook her head. “I won’t let him even try that. The fact he even dared to… it’s sickening. We can get you two somewhere safe. Bonnie and my siblings can put up a spell to keep him from finding you.”

“We can’t go into hiding,” said Kai. “That went terribly the last time we tried it. No… we need to be here, where other people can back us up if we need it.”

“Maybe you could move into the Salvatore House. Elena told me that Lily and her heretics are going to live elsewhere. Clearly, as friendly as everyone tried to be, it’s just too crowded.”

“I’m not going through a pregnancy in a frat house,” said Vivianna. “Mystic Falls is too far from here. We need to stay local. If anything happens, the hospital is nearby. Besides, Elena, Caroline, Liv, and Luke live on campus. Bonnie might stay in Santa Fe, but she could still potentially help if we ask nicely.”

“Whatever you think is best for you,” said Jo. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to find out who knows, alright?”

The other two nodded, and Vivianna looked at Kai before brushing her hand over his face. It was clear that she was still afraid. But perhaps less so, knowing that there would be people to help them.

“It’s gonna be just fine, Vivi,” said Kai. “If you can’t drink booze or coffee, then I won’t drink booze or coffee. We’ll get a routine for you to take your vitamins. I’ll find a job and—”

“And what, leave me at home to knit? If you’re getting a job, I’m getting a job. I need something to occupy my mind. Maybe I can work in one of the campus restaurants. I bet I can get them to let me in as a cook.”

Kai winced. “Slight problem with that, don’t pregnant women tend to get really sensitive with smells.”

Vivianna pouted. “Then you work as a cook and I’ll do something in the library, I don’t know. But I need to do something. I can’t be left alone to think about everything.”

“What are you thinking about right now?”

“How insane it is that the first guy I ever slept with is now the father of the kid I didn’t plan to have yet. Are you sure you never knocked anyone else up before me?”

He chuckled. “No, trust me, I was very safe with previous partners. I was driven by lust, and I hated kids. I wouldn’t have let it happen.”

“Are you sure we’re not gonna have someone knocking on the door saying that you’re their dad?”

“If any kid was conceived before I went into that prison world, they’d be eighteen right now. I definitely don’t think that happened.” He slid his hand through her hair. “I know this Thanksgiving was really shitty. And it’s probably the worst one you ever had. But I promise, I’m gonna make Christmas so much better. I’ll cook anything you want.”

“As long as it doesn’t make me queasy.”

The door opened, and Jo came back in. “Good and bad news,” she said with a slight wince. “Which do you want first?”

“Bad,” they said immediately.

“So… everyone knows. The heretics, Lily, Caroline, Bonnie, Jeremy, Tyler, the twins, Damon, Stefan, Ric…”

“Great,” said Vivianna sarcastically. “How do we keep that from reaching your dad’s ears?”

“That’s where the good news comes in,” said Jo. “The heretics are feeling thankful this holiday season and they’re offering to protect you.”

Kai blinked. “Come again?”

“The heretics are going to be your bodyguards. They’re eager to learn more about you, Kai, and since they can do magic and heal you with their blood, they think they can help you if the baby starts to cause problems.”

“We just met them,” said Vivianna uncertainly. “Are we going to be expected to live with them? Or invite them into our apartment?”

“I don’t think they want you in the house with them,” said Jo. “But if you’re going to be leaving your apartment at all… two of them will be keeping you company.”

“This is starting to scare me even more,” said Vivianna. “If the heretics, who know nothing about me, are concerned enough to want to protect me…”

“The entire supernatural world knows about what happened with the tribrid by now,” said Jo. “A lot of them are convinced it didn’t die. Mostly, they’re focused on what will happen if another kid like that pops up. This kid is a close contender. Normal witches will be wanting to keep it from being born. But the heretics know this baby is going to potentially be like them, one day. They know what it’s like to be cast out for being siphoners. They may not know you, but you Kai, and your son or daughter, are family to them. They’re gonna make it their personal business to protect it.”

“Well, that’s comforting,” said Kai. “We now have an army to protect dinosaur baby.”

A/N: Happy 300 pages! Yay for dinosaur-bean baby. Comment for more.

Chapter Text

Vivianna felt like she was famous.

Everywhere she went, if Kai wasn’t with her, two heretics trailed behind her. It was as though she was a celebrity being protected from the paparazzi. Except, of course, no one actually knew her name or what she was going to be known for in July. 

It was very strange, growing accustomed to being followed around all the time. She was used to doing things alone. Operating in secret, wearing another face. She’d never had someone constantly breathing over her shoulder. 

The first week hadn’t been too bad. The heretics hadn’t been too talkative. First she’d been followed by Valerie and Beau. Then by Nora and Mary Louise, who spent more sneaking off than watching them. Finally, Malcolm and Oscar. Repeat. 

Kai had taken up a job as a bartender with Liv, who wasn’t completely overjoyed to be working alongside her brother, but seemed pleased that someone she knew could easily take her shifts if she needed to take time off. The siphoner had also enrolled in a few courses, taking advantage of Oscar’s generous offer to compel the administration to waive any tuition fees. He was focusing on just the classes he really needed for his career, since he’d already been to college in the 90s and had taken all his general education requirements. 

Vivianna had tried to work in the same building as him, to maximize their time together, but hadn’t been able to make it too far into the restaurant before the smell of food left her rushing to the nearest trashcan. She ended up choosing to work at the library instead, where she’d stamp books and monitor the printer for a few hours every day. At least there wasn’t any food allowed in there. And it was quiet and calm, which gave her a chance to read every single book the library had for new mothers.

Granted, it earned her strange stares. She certainly didn’t look pregnant yet, and even if the students didn’t focus on what she was reading, it was hard to ignore the stony glares that the majority of the heretics shot their way when they stood near her for too long. The friendliest of all was Oscar, who tried to make conversation with everyone. The bitchiest was Mary Louise, who grew jealous of any person who stared at Nora for too long. 

The second week had been a bit more chaotic.

Eight weeks into pregnancy. She was bloating, having headaches, feeling heartburn, salivating constantly while still throwing up at the smell of greasy foods. She was going to the bathroom constantly, and having strange dreams that kept her up at night. Kai had done his best to help her sleep by tiring her out with his talk about how ‘dinosaur baby’ was about the size of a kidney bean.

“I’m sorry,” she said, when they were up at three in the morning, and he was talking to her about a few conversations he’d overheard at work. “You’re probably so tired and you’re having to get me sleepy by having a conversation.”

“Doesn’t matter if I’m tired,” said Kai, stifling a yawn into his shirt. “If you’re not able to sleep, then I shouldn’t be snoozing away.” He pulled her closer, and brought his hand to her belly. “I hope dinosaur baby sleeps through the night once it's born. Otherwise, we’re gonna have a repeat of this.”

Vivianna didn’t have the heart to tell him that there might not be a ‘we.’ If this pregnancy went down the worst possible route, he’d be doing this entirely alone. The thought of it made her want to burst into tears, paranoid that she’d never get to raise the baby that was already causing her so many mixed emotions. As awful as adjusting to pregnancy had been, she was starting to grow excited. Fantasizing about how they’d decorate the nursery. What stuffed animals would be the baby’s favorites.

She tried to distract herself by being more talkative with the heretics. They didn’t respond very well. Every little thing seemed to piss them off.

Valerie grew irritated when a girl at the library had bumped into her, which caused a lightbulb to shatter. Since they couldn’t fix it magically in front of everyone, Vivianna had had to go through the tedious process of calling for a repairman. When she’d tried to talk to the heretic about it, Valerie had been dismissive, and had gone to ‘check on Kai’ while Beau remained with Vivianna. 

“I didn’t mean to make her mad,” said Vivianna dejectedly, draping her hands over her stomach. “I don’t know why I bother.”

Beau, who she felt was the nicest besides Oscar, patted her shoulder, and then shrugged, as if to say, ‘There’s not much you can do to get through to her.’

“I feel like she hates me,” said Vivianna.

Beau shook his head, and gestured at their surroundings. 

“I don’t really like the environment, either. If Jo were closer to Mystic Falls, I’d be happier staying over there. Are you liking it? At your house.”

He nodded, and smiled, then tugged at his sleeve.

Vivianna hoped she’d interpreted that right. “You found clothes there?”

He assented, and gave a thumps-up.

“Good, I’m glad. I’m not exactly sure which house it is, but it’s definitely a plus when it comes with a wardrobe that works for you. I’ve had to get a lot of stuff out of donation bins…” she trailed off as Valerie came back, which immediately caused her to be quiet, to keep from making the heretic any more annoyed.

Nora and Mary Louise were far worse. At least Valerie was trying not to respond when she knew she was going to say something rude. The other two, however, seemed to have their own little code, and it was clear they were talking smack on just about everyone. There was a point where Vivianna had caught them pointing at her stomach and giggling. She’d looked down, and quickly pulled her shirt down. This seemed to amuse them more.

“If you have something to say, just say it to my face,” she said coldly once she confronted them. “I really don’t appreciate comments about how my body is changing. You try carrying a baby.”

“Oh, please, I’d never want to do something like that,” said Mary Louise with a snort. “You give me a reason every day for being glad that I never wished to have children of my own.”

“Mary Lou, don’t be mean,” said Nora, stifling a giggle. “Sorry, darling, but you need to start dressing better. If your aim is to keep it a secret, you’re failing miserably.”

Vivianna wasn’t even sure what to make of those comments. Was that their way of being helpful? It just felt like criticism. And each time she tried to learn more about them, they would move to another part of the room where they could still watch her, but without giving her a chance to spark up a conversation. 

As if things couldn’t get any worse, Malcolm had nearly devoured a girl who came to Vivianna asking for a band-aid to nurse her papercut. Oscar had cracked a very loud joke about how Malcolm and Vivi were the same, wanting to eat everything in sight. Vivianna’s face had felt like it was burning for several hours afterward, because now, everyone who’d been at the library now knew for sure that she was pregnant.

“They’re already sick of me,” Vivianna had sobbed at the end of that week, looking at herself in the mirror. “And I’m sick of this routine. Everything tastes like shit when I eat. The library doesn’t feel peaceful anymore because they’re all talking with each other and not with me. And when I do try to talk to them, they sometimes act like I’m not even worth their time. They’re probably all making fun of how bloated I look. You don’t know how lucky you are. They’re not following youaround.”

Kai wasn’t exactly having the time of his life. He grew irritated easily with customers who were rude to him. Liv wasn’t the most patient teacher, and she kept refusing to talk to the cook about letting Kai work as a chef instead, until he proved he could pour drinks without a problem. He was stressed with his schoolwork, trying desperately to make money and get started on his career so that soon after becoming a father, he’d have a suitable income to sustain them while Vivianna took her turn to study and get the job she wanted.

“You look fine,” he told Vivianna. “You honestly don’t look bloated to me. Think of it as a preview to what your adorable baby bump is gonna look like. Dinosaur baby isn’t gonna be small forever.”

“I really wish you’d stop calling it that!” she cried, more tears cascading down her face. “As cute as it is, all I can think about is how ugly it looks!”

Kai panicked slightly. “Hey, hey, hey, it got our genes. We’re hot. That kid is gonna be blessed. If you don’t want me to call it ‘dinosaur baby,’ I can call it a bean baby or something.”

She just shook her head. “No, dinosaur baby is cute, but—” she held up her finger to indicate a pause, and lifted her hair to throw up in the prepared trash can, which had been put on the counter for easy access. 

He got up immediately, rushing to hold her hair for her so that she could grab onto the can as she retched. “I’ve got you,” he whispered, his free hand rubbing her back. “You’re okay, Vivi.”

But he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that this was only the beginning of the symptoms, and it would get worse from there. 

Thankfully, Jo was keeping up with every last bit of Vivianna’s symptoms, and was trying hard to help her with medicinal teas and other vitamins that could help dull them a bit. That third week had been one without the heretics, as she’d been on bedrest to give her time to adjust. She’d done a bit of work from home, organizing a website for the library database. Kai had been able to spend more time with her as well, since he could now come straight home to do homework there at her side instead of having to wait until she finished her work to see her.

“You can’t possibly be comfortable like this,” she said, smoothing her hand through his hair. He had his head against her belly, and was laying on his side while reading an article for one of his classes.

“I’m super comfy,” he said. “As close to you and dinosaur baby as I can be.”

“Dinosaur baby is gonna need a real name.”

“Easy,” said Kai, not even glancing up from his article. “Julian if it’s a boy, Valeria if it’s a girl.”

Vivianna faltered. “You want to name it after my family? You don’t have anyone you want to name it after?”

“Well, Jo, Liv, and Luke are still alive, so naming it after them will be weird. I didn’t have a good relationship with my mom, so not her. I don’t want to name it after my other siblings. It’s gonna be really awkward explaining why they were named that. Other than that… well, I don’t think you want to name it after Patrick Swayze. I don’t have ideas. It feels right to name it either Julian, for your dad and brother, or Valeria, for your mom.”

“I like the sound of that,” she said, continuing to run her fingers through his hair. “Julian Parker-Zima, or Valeria Parker-Zima.”

“I never thought my last name was gonna be paired with the brand of my favorite drink.”

“And don’t forget it means winter, your favorite season.”

“Mhm…” he scooted up to kiss her. “My favorite time of the year right now. Not yet Christmas, but Thanksgiving already passed, it’s cold and I’m in a really nice apartment I never thought I’d own, cuddling with you and dinosaur baby. It’s kinda perfect.”

“Question,” she said, leaning her head onto his. “Are we actually gonna stay here? There’s only one room. That’ll be fine, at first, but eventually, dinosaur baby will need a space of its own.”

“So I’ll build us a house. Easy.”

That fourth week had been the one that got them to a place where they felt like they’d adjusted.

Kai’s job was going a lot better, and whenever he wasn’t studying or designing the house, he was training with one of the chefs. Vivianna was given more opportunities to work at home. The heretics seemed to be coming out of their shell, now that they felt they knew her better. It was leaving them to reveal a lot more than she anticipated. 

“You look great this week,” said Oscar. “Baby’s sounding really excited. And you’re not throwing up anymore!”

“It’s been a bit better,” said Vivianna, smiling slightly as she smoothed her hands over the now more visible bump. “The heartburn is still bothering me. I can’t imagine how I’d cope if I had to run errands. Kai’s been handling all of those.”

“Errands suck,” said Oscar. “Lily’s been sending us on missions.”

“Missions?” asked Vivianna uncertainly.

“It’s not your business,” said Malcolm before Oscar could say anything.

“Come on, we’re spending two days a week with her,” said Oscar. “The least we can do is tell her.”

“Lily won’t like it.”

“Lily isn’t the one following leads and keeping her company. Basically, she wants us to find something that we need to bring back an old friend of ours. Lily’s like our mother figure, and back in the day, we had a father figure, too.”

“Let me guess, Lily had a boyfriend?” 

“Bingo,” said Oscar. “We’re trying to find her boyfriend.”

“Not that all of us want to,” said Malcolm bitterly. “Valerie and I may constantly be at odds, but she’s the only one with any sense.”

“So you and Valerie are the only ones who don’t want to find this guy?”

He nodded. “She has some bizarre reason for hating him. Me, well, I just never found the appeal in doing everything Julian said.”

Vivianna went rigid. “Julian? His name is Julian?”

“Yeah,” said Oscar. “He’s a fun guy. Malcolm just gets less attention from Lily when Julian’s around. That’s why he doesn’t really like him. Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

“Sorry,” she muttered. “Julian was my brother’s name. And my dad’s name. And probably the name of several other ancestors of mine. Just brings back memories.”

“I imagine they’re a lot nicer than the memories I have of this Julian,” muttered Malcolm. “I’d trade a perfectly healthy blood donor for a chance to not know him.”

“If it makes you feel any better, dinosaur baby might be named ‘Julian’ if he’s a boy.”

Malcolm’s lip twitched. “Well, at least that Julian will be loads more tolerable.”

The next day, Valerie had been the one to talk to her more than usual. 

“Malcolm and Oscar told me about Julian,” she said to Beau and Valerie. “Is he ah… someone I should worry about?”

Beau just shrugged. He didn’t have anything bad to bring up. Valerie on the other hand, looked furious hearing his name.

“Beau,” she said, “could you check on Kai? I need to have a word with Vivianna.”

The other heretic left respectfully. Valerie waved her hand, and all noise around them was muted. 

“Okay,” said Vivianna slowly. “What’s that about?”

“The only reason I am going to tell you this is for your protection,” said Valerie, looking slightly panicked. “Got it?”

“Um… okay.”

“Julian he… he’s a bad man. He is nothing like how your brother and father were. If he were to come here and learn you’re pregnant… it’s a concern. What er… what have you heard about me and Stefan?”

“Nothing, really. Just that you two had a thing in the past.”

“A short romance. One that resulted in a pregnancy. It’s something I only just told him. None of the other heretics know. Julian forced me to miscarry, because he knew that if Lily became aware of it, she would have had her attention taken away from him. He beat me until the baby was no more. I was so miserable I… I ended it all. Or so I thought. It’s how I became the first heretic.”

Vivianna’s eyes were wide. “Valerie… I’m sorry. Oh my god… that’s awful.”

“I’ve heard that you know what it’s like to be beaten that way,” she murmured. “Though you were not pregnant at the time, it was with the intent of causing a miscarriage. You must hope that the others do not find the object they seek. It’s the only thing that can bring Julian back.”

“What’s the object?”

“The Phoenix Stone. Have you heard of it?”

“Um… vaguely. The legend of Rayna Cruz. Every Traveler grows up hearing that one. She’d been an ally to us many times to protect us from vampires.”

“The stone has long since been lost. If Lily were to get her hands on it, she’d have everything she needs to return Julian to this world.”

“So you’re saying he’s currently trapped in that stone.”

“Yes.”

“The stone that’s known for driving people crazy and making them hurt their loved ones in visions.”

“Yes.”

Vivianna pursed her lips. “Well… looks like you’re gonna be seeing me more often.”

Valerie blinked. “Why?”

“Because I’m going to have Kai request that Oscar and Malcolm be taken off of my service. Lily can send them to look for the Phoenix Stone alone. Malcolm doesn’t want him back. Oscar does, but if I point them in the right direction, Oscar will soon learn how good freedom feels, and he won’t want anything to do with the Phoenix Stone. They’ll be on their own for months, having fun instead of following leads. I think they could use it. Malcolm’s a bit grouchy.”

“One problem. Malcolm is a brownnoser. He’ll do whatever Lily asks of him.”

“Not if it means less time with her. He’s jealous of Julian. We can use that to our advantage.”

Valerie had offered her a smile. “You would do that, just to keep him from returning?”

“If he’s a danger to me, and if he hurt you, then he’s not someone I want anywhere near this place. Not to mention he has the same name as my brother and my father. I’d like to preserve a positive image of that name. Like I told the other two… Kai and I want to name it Julian if it’s a boy.”

“And if it’s a girl?”

Vivianna smiled. “Valeria. It was my mother’s name. It starts with a V, like my name. And it’s close to Valerie. For you.”

Valerie’s expression softened. “You’d name it after me? You hardly know me.”

“You just admitted something traumatic from your past to protect me. You went through something so, so difficult, and you trusted me enough to know it, all to make sure that I’m not left in the dark about what Lily’s up to. It’s admirable. Plus… you’re the only one who’s felt more like a sister to me. Nora and MaryLouise really hate me.”

“They don’t hate you,” said Valerie, shaking her head. “They’re scared to warm up to you. They’ve been betrayed by those closest to them many, many times. They’ve been having these ideas about their future together since they met you, and they worry that if they get too close, they’ll get hurt again, and it’ll ruin their plans to be happy together, because they’ll associate those thoughts with pain.”

All that was left, really, was to win over Nora and Mary Louise. 

That had been easier than Vivianna expected. She’d lured them to one of the nicer campus restaurants, pretending she wanted to eat there. Then, as soon as she checked in for her reservation, she put her hands on their shoulders.

“You two have fun,” she said. “I’m going across the street to the hospital so I can get my ultrasound.”

“What the bloody hell do you mean?” said Nora in disbelief. “We’re supposed to be watching you!”

“You’ve been watching me. Take some time for yourselves. The others are all single, so the time doesn’t take as much of a toll on them, but I’ve realized that this whole time, our lack of connection has been because I’m basically third-wheeling you guys. So take a break, dinner’s on me, I really gotta go now. Kai and I are gonna hear our baby’s heartbeat for the first time.”

The two heretics had been stunned, and had only allowed themselves to smile once she was gone. 

“Alright, let’s see what we have here,” said Jo. Vivianna and Kai’s hands were tightly linked as she dragged the wand over the woman’s abdomen. “Look at that.”

“It has a gigantic head,” said Kai bluntly. “Literally huge. Still looks like a dinosaur. Maybe a little like a meerkat?” 

“You are ridiculous,” said Vivianna, though she grinned. “It looks like you.”

“I take personal offense to that.”

“Good.”

There was a strange noise from the machine, and the two stopped talking, looking over at it, seeing Jo was smiling.

“There’s your baby’s heartbeat,” she said as they listened to the rapid pulsating emitted from the machine. “Perfectly healthy. All looks well.”

Kai and Vivianna were silent for a moment, listening and just smiling at each other. Jo let them have their moment before asking, “Any bizarre symptoms you want to talk about?”

“Nope,” said Vivianna, though she bit her lip, as if holding something back. Jo didn’t notice, and didn’t inquire about it.

“You’re a terrible liar,” said Kai when they got back to the apartment, and she went to lay down on the couch, putting her feet up, and running her hands over her stomach. “What are you feeling?”

“It’s nothing,” she said casually.

“Liar. Come on, Vivi, we’re all worried about you, you can’t lie about what you’re feeling. Do you feel like you can’t talk to me about it, or something?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s not that. But you have been really busy. I only see you in the evenings.”

“I know, princess,” he said, coming to sit beside her. “I’m sorry. I’m trying really hard to get more money so we can buy everything we need when the time comes to start building the house. I wish I could spend every waking moment with you. I just worry we’re not gonna have enough. You’re already depleting your account to pay the rent every month. I have to contribute something.”

“I just wanna see you more often,” she said, hooking one leg around him, and using it to pull him closer. “I miss you.”

He raised his brow. “In uh… more ways than one?”

“Mhm.”

“Is that what you didn’t want to tell Jo?”

“Why would I want to tell your sister that I’m unbelievably horny? This baby was literally conceived on the kitchen table. Day after day we sit at that table, and my brain goes back to that night, and all I can think about is your hands on my body. And all the dirty things you were saying in my ear. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you tell any doctor. Especially not when said doctor is your baby daddy’s twin.”

He wiggled his eyebrows, leaning over and kissing her. “I’ve been promoted to baby daddy, huh?”

“You’ve been that for ten weeks already,” she said. “We just didn’t know for the first six.”

“So basically four weeks.”

“Whatever. Just kiss me. Please.”

Kai had elected to take off from work the following day, giving them many hours to be together, without the heretics looking over their shoulder. At least the other symptoms seemed to be dying down. This particular symptom was something Vivianna didn’t mind at all.

“Gotta calm down,” he said, when she climbed on top of him for what felt like the hundredth time that day. “We’re gonna end up with fraternal twins.”

“I really don’t think that’s possible,” she said. “But if you want to try and score another one…”

“Is this gonna be our first and only kid? Or do you want more?”

“Let’s see how this birth goes. If I survive it…”

“Which you will.”

“Okay, well, when I survive it, I’m not sure I’m gonna want to go through that again. So we just gotta wait.”

“Vivi.” Kai held her hips, stopping her from moving. “Hey. You’re gonna survive this. We’re all gonna survive it. I don’t want you convincing yourself that you’re not gonna live past July. I’ll die before I let anything happen to you or our dinosaur baby, okay? I swear to god, if my dad even tries anything, I’ll kill him myself.”

Chapter Text

This was not how Vivianna had pictured Christmas.

In the past, whenever she managed to meet up with Julian and Maria, they’d cook and sit for a meal, then go off to a rave or some sort of party before returning home to open their gifts. The day after, Vivianna would be the only one without a hangover (since she was the youngest of the group, and was always assigned to be the designated driver). 

She woke up to breakfast in bed on December 22nd, the Saturday that their Christmas party was taking place at the Salvatore House. Kai had already ironed the dress she wanted to wear, and had gone to the store to get her some comfortable boots and a coat. 

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said, sitting up so that she could enjoy the donuts he’d gotten for them, along with some hot chocolate. 

“I wanted to,” he said, leaning over to kiss her forehead. “How are you both?”

“I’m not feeling sick today,” she said brightly. “Knock on wood.”

“Oh, sure,” he said, guiding her hand to his jeans, which made her roll her eyes and snatch it away.

“Not that kind of wood, genius.” She tapped her knuckles against the nightstand instead. “Let’s hope I can get through a whole dinner without feeling like crap.”

“It should be fine, right?” he said optimistically. “Eating with the heretics… listening to Caroline complain about how none of the decorations are good enough…”

“Well, we weren’t in charge of decorations, so we don’t have to worry about that. I just feel bad. We didn’t put much effort into presents.”

“If anyone complains,” said Kai, taking a donut off of the plate he gave her, “we pull the pregnancy card. It’s hard as shit to focus on anything else when you’ve got a baby on the way.”

She grinned. “And yet, somehow, you’re a college scholar, an architect, and a bartender-cook all at the same time.”

He winked. “With both our brains put together, this kid is gonna be wicked smart.”

“If it has your sense of humor, I’m gonna be hearing dad jokes as soon as it can talk.”

“Nothing wrong with dad jokes, you know. Maybe you just need a better sense of humor.”

“You and this kid are gonna be the death of me.”

Kai winked. “But you’ll love every second of it.”

As soon as she finished eating, he helped her to her feet, going to wash the dishes while she started to wrap all the presents. Almost everyone was getting some sort of liquor and fuzzy socks. Since Jo and the heretics had been the most helpful, they were getting gift cards. Aside from that, no one was getting special treatment.

“So Caroline texted me to let me know exactly who’s gonna be there,” said Vivianna, holding up her phone. “All the heretics minus Malcolm and Oscar. All three Salvatores, Elena, Caroline and her mom, Bonnie, Enzo, and… Jo and Ric. Have the twins said anything?”

He shook his head. “Luke is still in Portland keeping charge of the Coven. No news on where my dad is. I think Liv and Tyler are taking a trip over there for the holidays. Make sure the Gemini Coven is actually adjusting to the new leadership. Luke says all is well but… none of us are too sure about that. They like Luke, so it seems there isn’t much to worry about, however, since my dad is M.I.A. there’s no telling if the peace is a farce or the Geminis are actually embracing change.”

“They don’t know about the baby… right?”

“Luke and Liv were very careful about that. No one knows for sure whether you and I are or aren’t out. The Geminis think you did the spell from inside the prison world as revenge. We want to keep it that way.”

Vivianna wrung her hands together. “I’m thinking maybe we should do a Locator Spell on your dad.”

“I  can do a Locator Spell,” said Kai. “You shouldn’t be doing any magic at all. Doctor’s orders.”

She pouted. “But I feel fine, is this really necessary?”

“Look, this baby is part Traveler, so theoretically, you can channel them to do magic. But that might make the baby’s magical signature start up earlier, and that’s what can potentially hurt you. The longer we can keep you from doing magic, the less of a signature the baby will sense from you, which means it won’t want to siphon.”

She sighed. “I just feel so useless. I can’t do anything these days without worrying that it’s gonna hurt me or the baby.” 

“As soon as the baby is born, you can do all the magic you want,” said Kai. “Right now, my priority is making sure you two are okay. And the best way for me to do that is to listen to my sister, ‘cause she studied medicine and knows what she’s talking about.”

Vivianna understood his point. She really did. And she knew it was for the best. Still, she could feel her magic gradually decaying day after day. She felt less and less each time she concentrated on her fingertips. She feared that several more weeks of this was going to leave her unable to do anything at all. And she wasn’t sure how she’d cope with being unable to do magic once the baby was born. What if they really needed it, one day, and she wasn’t able to help them?

In the late afternoon, they gathered the gifts and drove to the Salvatore House. Upon arrival, they were instructed to leave the gifts under the tree, before being ushered to sit in the living room.

“Holy crap,” said Damon, sitting across from them with a bottle of bourbon. “You are actually full-on pregnant, huh? Hadn’t seen it for myself. Wasn’t sure if everyone was just pulling my leg.”

“What gave it away, the growing belly?” asked Vivianna, smoothing the skirt of her dress over the tiny bump. 

“No, the heartbeat,” said Damon, tapping his ears. “Kid’s running a race in there, or something.”

“Vivianna!” said Elena happily, entering the room from behind them. “Oh my god— can I—?”

That was one thing she found didn’t bother her as much as she thought it would. Having people running their hands over the bump. She supposed it was different in her situation, knowing that the vampires could actually hear the baby’s heartbeat while doing that. They could sense exactly where it was, and know whether it was healthy or not just by listening. If it were a human doing this, she wouldn’t want their hands anywhere near her. It wasn’t like the baby could move yet. They would literally be touching her stomach for no reason.

Kai noticed the look in Elena’s eyes as she ran her hands over Vivianna’s abdomen, giggling and making comments about the heartbeat, and asking questions about how the pregnancy was going. He just knew how much Elena wanted to be a mom. He recalled how graciously she’d given him the second copy of the cure for safekeeping. While he did want to keep one safe for himself and Vivianna, he figured that it might be an even better Christmas present to just give it to Elena. 

It was strange, even considering that. Doing something as nice as that. In the past, he would have been completely selfish. He would have crushed the cure with his bare hands to keep anyone else from having it. 

He started to feel worried for a moment, thinking about the baby. What if it was a sociopath? The Travelers had cursed siphoners to be born as sociopaths. Vivianna removed the Gemini Merge Curse only after the baby was conceived. And she didn’t exactly undo the sociopathic siphoner bit of it. 

“Vivi, can we talk?” he asked, once Elena had gone to set the table. “Alone?”

“Oh, sure,” she said, getting to her feet. He led her to one of the bathrooms, which caused her to frown. “Is everything okay?”

“The baby,” he muttered. “What if it’s… like me? A sociopath on top of everything else. That’s dangerous, isn’t it? A kid with that much power, not caring about people at all? What if I doomed it?”

“Malachai,” she said gently, “I don’t think that’s something we need to worry about. It was conceived after I took away your sociopathy. Whatever genetic component you had for that… I rewired it all. You don’t have to be worried.”

“I am worried,” he said quietly. “I was a bad person, Vivi. A really bad one. You killed to survive. I killed for fun. My own family. Jo and the twins talk to me now and it’s alright, but I know that every time they see me, they remember that I took the lives of our siblings just out of jealousy. All in a fit of rage. What if I doomed it? What if I become just as shitty as my dad ‘cause I don’t know how to parent a sociopath?”

“Listen to me. It’s not gonna be a sociopath. You didn’t doom it. You’re already so much better than your dad ever was. Look at you. You’re worrying about how your actions might affect this kid that hasn’t even been born yet. Your dad never wondered that. He never cared how he made you feel. As long as it was bad, he was fine with it. I know you’re not gonna be like him. Trust me.”

He half-smiled. “You’re sure?”

Vivianna nodded. “I’m sure. About everything. You can’t seriously think I’d allow you to be an asshole dad, do you? Just like you wouldn’t allow me to be a shitty mom. We’re in this together. And we’re gonna be the best damn parents ever. We need to be. This kid deserves that.”

There was a knock on the door. “Please don’t have sex in my bathroom,” said Damon. “One kid is enough.”

“We’re not having sex,” said Vivianna, rolling her eyes before opening the door. “Stalker.”

“Food’s ready,” he said. “Heretics are here.”

“Aren’t we gonna wait for the others?” said Kai. “I thought Jo and Ric were coming.”

Damon winced. “Something came up.”

“What about Caroline and her mom?”

“Yeah… it’s about that.”

“What happened?” asked Vivianna. 

“They’re not sure yet,” said Damon. “But something seems to be wrong with Liz. We’ll probably find out later. Stefan went to be with Caroline. One of them will update us.”

That didn’t sound comforting in the slightest. The couple walked behind the vampire, who led them to the table, where the heretics were already getting situated. Bonnie had just arrived with store-bought dessert, and were setting the different pies on the counter.

“I don’t think I’ve met you,” said Vivianna, seeing a man seated near Lily Salvatore. “Who—?”

“Enzo,” he said, extending his hand. “You’re the one carrying a Traveler-Gemini bun in her oven.”

“My name’s Vivianna, but yes,” she said. “This is Kai.”

“The baby daddy,” said Enzo. “Yes, I’ve heard of you. Go on, sit.”

Vivianna left an empty space between herself and Enzo, not feeling up to sitting right beside him. That duty ended up falling on Bonnie, who squished herself in, ignoring the way Enzo wiggled his eyebrows at her. 

“I have a boyfriend,” mentioned the Bennett witch.

“I don’t see him anywhere near here,” mentioned Enzo. “But very well. You look gorgeous.”

Bonnie blushed, and quickly looked over at Vivianna. “So, how’s everything?”

“I’m ready to eat half of the ham,” she said. “Which is good so far considering I have had a lot of issues with food smells lately.” She looked up at the heretics, smiling a bit. “They’ve been helping me figure that out.”

“Well, you can’t expect us to tolerate being in your presence when everything makes you gag,” said Nora with a playful smile. “Sometimes, being ancient has its perks. We know remedies you’ve never even heard of.”

“That, along with Jo’s vitamins, is helping me be able to eat,” said Vivianna. “Everyone likes to remind me that I’m eating for two, and as much as I want to acknowledge that, it’s really hard when I feel more like barfing than eating.”

“You have to make sure that creature gets proper nutrients,” said Mary Louise, who’d already started to eat. “Future heretic baby cannot be scrawny. We won’t allow it to join us if it looks like a twig.”

“So you’re already opening a spot in your ranks for my unborn kid?” asked Vivianna, tilting her head. “That’s flattering.”

“Two spots, actually,” said Nora. “Malcolm, Oscar, and Beau have taken a liking to Kai. They think we ought to turn you, soon…” she looked at Kai. “That is what you want, isn’t it?”

“Um… not just yet,” he said. “The constant magic thing is nice but I definitely want to wait a few… years, maybe. I don’t want to have the urge to feed on Vivi. Or on the baby when it’s too little.”

“You’ll learn to control it,” said Valerie, who was actually translating what Beau was signing with his hands. “It seems difficult at first, because loving someone magnifies your cravings for them. But that same love can be your anchor for control. The last thing you want is to hurt someone that means the world to you.”

“True,” said Kai. “When it gets to that point, I’d appreciate you guys teaching me.”

“We always have room in our family for more,” said Lily from the end of the table, beaming at them. “Especially when you were the ones who made the plan to free us from that prison world.” She listened for a moment, looking at Vivianna. “I always do like hearing children in the womb. This little one seems… quite strong.”

“Everyone seems so fascinated with the heartbeat,” said Vivianna. “We don’t have vampire hearing, so we don’t really know if that’s good or bad.”

“I’ve heard many heartbeats in the past,” said Lily. “And that one is the loudest I have ever heard at just ten weeks. Every prediction about your child seems to be right. I can sense the power radiating off of it.”

“It’s sort of like a beacon,” mentioned Valerie. “We can’t help but be drawn to it. Every day, I sense more and more magic coming from your body.”

“That doesn’t sound too good,” said Kai. “If it’s drawing supernatural beings to it… um… can that have any effect on those biologically related to it?”

“That’s more common with wolves,” said Valerie, who once again was translating Beau’s signs. “Wolves operate in Packs, and are more likely to be drawn to supernatural anomalies when related to them. Any child born a bit different from the others is going to emit a signal. Many witches do work in Covens, but the majority in this area work alone, so it shouldn’t alert your father, if that’s your concern.”

“It is,” muttered Kai. “The guy vanished off the face of the Earth as soon as Vivi did her spell. Doesn’t exactly bode well.”

After their meal, the group went back to the living room. Kai and Vivianna were the only ones not drinking. They’d cuddled up closer to the fireplace, with Kai’s hand on her stomach.

“How are you feeling?” he asked quietly.

“Good,” she said. “This has been the nicest Christmas I’ve had in… a really long time. Granted, it’s not Christmas day, but that doesn’t really matter. I never got to spend it with this many people. It’s comforting, knowing they’re all here to help us.” She lifted her hand to run it over his face. “If you want to turn… I don’t want to be in the way of that. It’s your choice, Malachai. You’ve never gotten to have consistent magic.”

“I know it’s my choice. But I’m not alone in this. I have to think about how it affects the people around me. I could never forgive myself if I lost control and attacked you while you’re still pregnant. Or if I lose control while dinosaur baby is still really small. I don’t know how turning will alter my personality. Everyone changes when they turn. What if I become more like a sociopath again? I don’t want to be evil.”

“You won’t be,” she said. “I believe that you can make the choice, and if it comes down to it, you’ll choose to be good.”

“If I turn, we won’t be able to have more kids.”

“Maybe not biologically, but we can still adopt. Might be better than conceiving another super-powerful kid. I don’t know how good it’ll be for this little one to be an only child. We don’t want them to be a spoiled brat.”

“We’re gonna have our hands full with this one. I don’t know if it’s a good idea to adopt. The other ones might feel neglected.”

“I guess we’ll just have to see, once dinosaur baby is older. We’re gonna have to figure so much out… where it’ll go to school, what extracurriculars it’ll do.”

“Easy,” said Kai. “We have them try out every single sport there is at least once, and then they can pick which they like the most. I bet it’ll be good at soccer. Or swimming.”

“Dinosaur baby, a swimmer?” She scrunched up her nose. “Maybe we should call it dolphin baby.”

“Nah, I’ve learned some fucked up things about dolphins. Dinosaur is way better. Maybe that’s how we should decorate its room. Dinosaurs are pretty gender neutral.”

“What do you think it is, biologically?” she asked curiously. “Male or female?”

“Definitely a little dude,” said Kai confidently. “Mini Malachai.”

“You sure?” Vivianna tilted her head, smirking. “I was thinking it’d be a Tiny Vivi. I’d like to see you playing dress up and doing tea parties.”

“Well, whatever you are,” he said, looking down at her belly, “I’m gonna play whatever you want. If you want me to put on a tiara, I’ll rock that damn tiara. And if you want to pretend to be invisible, we’ll scare your mom every time she lets her guard down.”

“Please don’t teach it how to turn invisible right away,” said Vivianna. “The last thing we need is a toddler refusing to take a bath and turning invisible to get out of it.”

“Hear that?” said Kai, tapping her stomach. “No invisibility for you right away. Mama says that that’s not allowed.”

Vivianna felt herself tearing up as he kept talking to her belly, not caring that there were people around that could hear him. He was going on and on about different games they could play, and pranks they could pull on her. She wanted so desperately to know for certain whether she’d be a part of it or not. Because despite her aversion to food being fixed, it seemed all the heretics and vampires could agree that the baby was emitting more and more magic each day. Sooner or later, it could start to siphon, and Vivianna wasn’t sure whether her body could take it.

“Bad news, guys,” said Elena once the evening was nearly over. “Caroline’s mom… she’s not doing too well. The doctors say she… she has cancer.”

Everyone was silent. 

“It’s a brain tumor,” murmured Elena, reading off of the text she’d received. “Um… a glioblastoma. They can’t operate on it. They might not even be able to do chemo…”

Just like that, Vivianna was in a flood of tears.

She’d had to rush out of the room to not disturb anyone. Kai ran after her, following her out to their car, which she leaned against, trying to steady her breathing.

“Vivi, what’s wrong?” he asked frantically. “Is it hurting? Is it—?”

“No,” she said, her voice cracking. “Just… it’s a lot to take in. I hardly know Caroline’s mom. The last time I saw her was when Julian died. Markos was with her. She always seemed so sweet… she was born in the same year as you, I think. I just… this baby… as soon as it’s born, anything could happen to it. It— it could get sick and die, it could break a bone, it… it could succumb to something and it could die and we wouldn’t be able to stop it. Sure, it’s supernatural, but it’s still mortal. Witches get cancer. Our baby could get sick when it’s still so young and we could lose it… even after years of raising it.”

“I know,” he said, taking her shoulders. “I know… there’s a lot we can’t control, Vivi. We don't know if our kid is going to be born with a defect, we don’t know if it’s gonna live forever completely healthy, or if it’s gonna have an illness along the way. We don’t know, and we can’t stop it from happening, but if it does happen, it’s gonna happen in the future. And maybe by then there will be much better treatments to help fix it. Maybe, if our kid gets cancer, there is already a cure by then. We’re gonna do the best we can as it grows. And when a problem arises, we will tackle it the best we can. We’re witches, too, and we can fix more than we give ourselves credit for. I’ll prove it to you.”

“Prove it?” she said in disbelief. “How will you prove—?”

“I’m gonna cure Liz Forbes.”

Chapter Text

Kai was in over his head and he knew it.

It had felt like the right thing to say, at that moment. Vivianna was so worried, and he’d just wanted to calm her down so that she and the baby wouldn’t get too agitated. 

“You’re telling me,” said Jo in disbelief, “that you promised her that you were going to cure an inoperable brain tumor? Kai, what’s wrong with you?”

“I spoke without really thinking,” he said. “It— it’s possible though, right? Just cause it’s inoperable doesn’t mean it’s impossible to cure.”

“We’re talking about studies that haven’t been published yet. Procedures that medical professionals still don’t know about. You’ve already got so much on your plate, and now, you want to do this? Please don’t tell me you told Caroline.”

“I didn’t. I just told Vivi.”

“Good. Because that poor girl doesn’t deserve false hope. Kai… you can’t make promises like this. I know you wanted to help her feel better, but how is she going to feel when the inevitable happens?”

“I’m studying to be a biomedical engineer,” said Kai. “I’ve learned a thing or two already and I think… I think if you get me partnered up with an oncologist or something, I could do something to fix it.”

“There’s something you need to understand,” said Jo. “Some things can’t be changed. It’s the unfortunate reality of this world. So you’re going to go home and you are going to tell her that you will try, but that there is no guarantee. You need to make sure she knows that before you get started on this. Besides, how is she going to feel when you spend even less time with her because you’ll be taking this up as a project? She may be getting along with the heretics now, but she’s not gonna want to spend every single moment with them. She’ll want to spend those moments with you.”

“But if I work on this, then I can ensure that I’m ready to help her and our kid if anything happens.”

Jo sighed. “Kai, she’s going through something incredibly difficult right now. It took us five weeks to get the first of her symptoms under control. More are going to pop up. And that baby is going to keep growing at an accelerated rate. It could get to the point where she can’t leave the bed. You have to be there for her. It feels like…” she shook her head. “Nevermind.”

“No, tell me,” demanded Kai. “You can’t pretend you weren’t about to say something.”

Jo hesitated, but said, “It feels like you’re trying to spend as little time with her as you can.”

“That’s not true. Why would you say that?”

“Since the beginning, we’ve known that this is a dangerous pregnancy. And it seems like you’re drawing away from her so that it won’t hurt as badly if something does happen to her. The less time you spend with her, the less you’ll feel, and if you lose her, you’ll cope with it a lot better. Not to mention your worries about being a bad dad. You think the kid is better off with her, and you stay occupied so you don’t have to think about all the things that can go wrong.”

He faltered. “I… I don’t know how I’ll do this if something happens to her, Jo. I just want a chance at being able to save her life. If I study, if I focus on having a house ready, if I find a way to cure something like this… I can have the capacity to do something if, when she’s in labor, she starts to fade away. If it were up to me, I’d be with her every minute of every day. But the more time I spend with her, the less time I have to prepare for the worst case scenario.”

“I know that you and I don’t have the best relationship. But trust me when I tell you that I’m gonna have the best people on this. I’m working on contacting other supernaturals who are doctors, to see if anyone has advice. I’m not telling them the baby’s true nature, but I am saying that I’m dealing with a witch whose baby is growing faster than normal. Somewhere out there, there must be a witch who studied obstetrics and can guide us down the right path. I’m not gonna let anything happen to her. That baby is gonna be my niece or nephew. You just need to be prepared to make a difficult decision, if it comes down to it. Because if something goes wrong, I can’t save them both.”

He gulped. “I have to be the one to choose?”

“You’re the baby’s father. You’re the only one who can make this decision. Just know that you need to be ready for that. I think you should talk to her about it.”

“What? Why? No— if something goes wrong, you save her. No hesitation.”

“And how will she feel after that, Kai? You’d eventually get past losing a child. That would take a tremendous toll on her. You need to know what she wants before anything. Talk to her about all of this. Promise me that. And spend more time with her. She deserves it. Your fears and worries will dissipate little by little, the more you’re involved. You’ll feel more control, believe it or not.”

He’d taken her advice. He’d gone home, where Beau and Valerie were teaching Vivianna sign language. She looked so happy, he was afraid to come in and ruin it. But Jo was right. He had to talk to her about it.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, once the heretics had returned to their living quarters. 

“I’m good,” she said brightly. “Once I learn sign language successfully, I’m going to teach Beau and Valerie to cook. How’s your progress with Liz? Did you talk to her?”

Kai bit his lip. “Jo didn’t want me to see her yet. There’s something you and I need to talk about first. Like… the possibility that this isn’t gonna work.”

Vivianna’s smile dropped. “But… but you seemed so confident that you knew how to fix it.”

“I’m confident, but that doesn’t mean I’m right. I’ve studied medicine, but never cancer. It’s all theory. I know that we both want what any parent wants. For their kid to always be safe from harm. And maybe we do have an advantage with magic. If our kid has a cough, that’s easy to fix. If they have a fever, we can reverse that. But there is a point where we have less power. Less knowledge and experience. And that point comes with the worst diseases we’re worried about.”

“Please don’t tell me you can’t fix her,” she said, her lip trembling. “Because if you can’t fix her… if something happens to the baby… I’m useless. It needs you to be able to help it, Malachai.”

“I’m gonna do everything I can to figure out how to fix her. Caroline helped you, so I want to help her. And I still want to keep proving to Jo that I’m good. I’m not gonna give up. But the reality is that this might be out of my hands. Just how it might be out of my hands when it comes down to healing our kid. We’re gonna do everything we can to prevent anything from happening to it. I will do anything I can to help it be healthy.”

“Alright,” she said, looking crestfallen, but understanding. Kai wasn’t exactly her hero, considering how they’d started out, but she knew more than anyone how smart he was. And she supposed it influenced how much faith she had in him to solve their biggest problems. “Now I worry that if things go wrong, you’ll blame yourself. At a certain point, magic can’t do much. You know that. So please… don’t get so invested that you lose a part of yourself if things don’t go the way you want them to.”

“I’m more concerned that’s gonna happen to Caroline. Jo told me she’s in a frenzy trying to find a way to slow this down, to reverse the damage. Thing is, it just got diagnosed too late. Human doctors are limited in how much they can do. I don’t know how this girl is gonna cope if she loses her mom. You and I were younger than she is now, when we lost our moms. You, sixteen. Me, eighteen. And I didn’t grieve at all, ‘cause she wasn’t good to me. But it seems like Caroline and her mom have been on their own for awhile. She grew more dependent. Caroline just turned twenty according to Stefan. Two full decades with her mom. Losing someone after that long…”

“Just do what you can,” murmured Vivianna. “Please. But if it can’t be done… it can’t be done. I understand that. So will Liz. So will Caroline, in time. I don’t want her to get mad at you, Malachai. What if her mom dies and she blames you ‘cause you couldn’t help her? I think you need to have this conversation with her, too.”

“I will, eventually. Jo doesn’t want me to tell Caroline I’m helping Liz. So please keep it lowkey.”

“Alright. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?”

“Yeah…” he took her hand. “Jo told me I’ll be the one that has to make a difficult decision if things start to go wrong. If it comes down to saving you or saving the baby.”

“You save the baby,” said Vivianna with no hesitation. 

“What?” he said quietly. “No, Vivi, it’s smarter to save you. We can make another baby. We can’t make another you.”

“The universe allowed a tribrid kid to be born for a reason. And I think there’s a reason why we were brought together and able to conceive this kid. It could change the world in a good way. It could be the key to helping the witches be more accepting of those who are different. Just like the tribrid would have been the key to uniting all three supernatural factions. If I die, at least our kid still has a chance to change the world.”

She started to tear up. “But if it dies… we might not be able to make another one. I might be too damaged, mentally and physically. I told you before, Malachai, I don’t think I could handle losing a kid. It’ll break me. I already feel so attached. I love it, and I want more than anything to see it grow up, but the reality is that I probably won't be able to. I’ve accepted that. I can’t accept having to watch it die. Having to bury a tiny little coffin. I’ve lost too much. I can’t lose it.”

“Vivi, this is ridiculous,” said Kai, who simply couldn’t see it the way she did. “If the universe wants a Traveler-Gemini-siphoner kid so badly, it’ll ensure everything goes right with the birth. If it wants it so bad, it’ll make sure we can make another one.”

“When you say it that way, it sounds so awful,” she said. “Replacing it once we’re ready to try again.”

“Okay, fine, I won’t word it that way. You will get to raise it. You will. I’ll do anything to make sure that can happen. Don’t give up, Vivi, don’t think that your life is worth so little compared to its life. It’s a fetus, princess, not a full baby yet. I can’t do this on my own. I can’t be a good dad if I have to raise it by myself. Every day I’ll just be thinking about how you're not there, and I won’t be able to handle it.”

She started to cry more. “I wish I could just know what’s gonna happen! There is so much uncertainty and I hate it! I want to know if I’ll be able to hold it or if I’m gonna have to watch it die. I want to know if I’ll get to see it develop or if I’ll just be dead. I hate not knowing! My entire life has just been unpredictable, and constant moving, and always worrying. For once, I just want to have peace! I feel so pissed all the time and I’m trying to be happy and I’m trying to be excited but I’m just concerned.”

“I know, princess,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “And I’m sorry. I wish I had answers for everything. I wish I could guarantee stability and happiness and health for all three of us. If there’s one thing that’s bothered me a lot since I was able to feel everything… it’s the fact that it’s really agonizing to be unsure about what’s coming in life. We can’t give up, though. Neither of us. I’ll try my best with Liz, try my best to get us money and a house and a way to keep our baby safe. And you need to try your best to have some hope, because you deserve to get to raise this kid, too. I need you here at my side. Don’t give up. Don’t convince yourself that it’s not gonna happen. We’re gonna survive it. All of us are gonna survive it. ‘Cause I have a plan. If it comes down to it, I’ll tell them to save the baby. And then we’ll feed you vampire blood. You’ll die and be turned and then I’ll give you the cure. Problem solved.”

She sniffled. “But if that happens, I can never be a vampire again. I wouldn’t be able to ingest vampire blood after being cured. If you were to turn later in life, and if our kid were to choose to become a heretic, too…”

“Then you wouldn’t be able to be immortal like us,” said Kai, biting his tongue hard. “Damn it…”

“Like I said,” she muttered sadly, “I hate not knowing. Next week is the end of my first trimester of pregnancy. There’s no guarantee of… anything.”

“No matter what happens, I’ll figure something out,” said Kai. “I have to.”

“Just please… don’t turn me. Promise me, Kai.”

“Okay,” he said quietly. “I promise.”

He already knew that this was a promise he might not be able to keep.

_

The next several weeks were stressful. 

Vivianna was eating as often as she could. Whether it was because the baby demanded it, or just because of the cravings, or because it was the only thing that distracted her from all her worries, she didn’t know. 

She tried to keep her mind occupied. She read a lot. Watched movies and shows. Kept up her job at the library, even if it was much more obvious now that she was pregnant. 

Malcolm and Oscar remained off in another part of the world, likely partying instead of locating the Phoenix Stone. Valerie was working on locating it, so that they could never get their hands on it. Beau was keeping up his sign-language lessons with Vivianna, who was starting to teach him basic recipes with the few signs she’d learned.

Nora and Mary Louise were taking her shopping almost every time that they saw one another. They giggled and squealed, having her try on different maternity dresses and accessories for the winter. Vivianna appreciated that they were taking care of the cost by compelling the employees to gift it for free, but she couldn’t help but feel guilty each time, thinking they ought to be paying for something.

Meanwhile, Kai was doing his best to balance all the tasks he set himself. He was still working on school, on the plan for the house, and on doing research for Liz. He hadn’t tried any spells just yet, but he was preparing for one that just might halt the tumor’s growth completely. Which could at least be a start for reversing the damage. 

“Here we go,” said Jo, starting on their fourteen week ultrasound. “So, baby looks nice and healthy… heartbeat sounds good. Any new symptoms?”

“My gums have been hurting a lot,” said Vivianna. “Are my teeth gonna fall out?”

“It does happen with some mothers, since the baby is taking all of the calcium it can get. I’ll get you started on some new supplements to make sure there’s enough calcium for the both of you.” She pulled up a 3-D image of the fetus. “This is what it looks like. It has its arms and legs now… looks a lot prettier.”

“It looks like Voldemort, actually,” said Kai as he squinted at the picture. “Voldy-baby.”

“First dinosaur baby, now this,” said Vivianna with a light laugh, though she massaged the side of her face, as if this made her mouth hurt. “This is what I have to put up with. Also… did you hear the news, Jo?”

“I did,” she said. “The tribrid is alive. It’s all my few witch friends could talk about. I saw a picture of her. Cute little girl. Really big blue eyes.”

“Maybe we should move to New Orleans,” said Kai. “Team up with the tribrid’s family while we can. I bet the Originals and the heretics together could keep both kids safe, no problem.”

“That’s assuming that they want us there,” said Vivianna. “They might see us as enemies.”

“Nah… we’re just getting a head start on playdates.” He looked over at the ultrasound machine, which was still on. “So, when can we find out the sex of the baby?”

“At around eighteen weeks we should be able to tell for sure,” said Jo. “Right now, it’s really hard to know. There’s a fifty-fifty chance, so don’t worry too much.”

“Well, the tribrid’s a girl,” said Kai. “We should have a boy to keep it balanced.”

“Or it could be an all-girl power squad,” said Vivianna. “The tribrid, this baby, and whatever other supernatural anomaly is born. Maybe there will be a wolf-witch hybrid sometime soon.”

“I think the witches will all lose their minds if one of those is born anytime soon,” said Jo with a light laugh. “Important question, have you been feeling anything in your belly? Any tingling, movement, etcetera?”

“Not yet,” said Vivianna. “Should I be feeling movement?”

“Definitely not,” said Jo. “Usually, first time mothers don’t experience that til around twenty weeks. But since this baby is developing a tad faster, I was just wondering. To be honest, the accelerated growth seems to have plateaued. It looks a lot like a normal baby. Heartbeat is still a lot stronger. Do you feel any changes in its magical signature?”

“I feel less magic every day,” said Vivianna a bit dejectedly. “It’s been eight weeks since I got to do magic. And my last spell was the one to break the Gemini Merge Curse. So it’s all kind of fading completely. I worry that I won’t be able to do anything by the time it’s born. I knew this could happen… I knew that in time, I’d be reduced to just a mere human ‘cause there aren’t other Travelers to do magic with.”

“Well, I don’t think you’ll lose your magic permanently, because this baby is a Traveler. You should be able to do magic with it. How about you try one small spell? No dark objects. Just you. See if you can do anything. If you can’t, then the baby’s magical signature is still going to take time to develop. If you can, then we should get started on preparing a bracelet or necklace or something to keep the baby from siphoning from you.”

She nodded, then held her hand up, pointing it at the ultrasound machine. “Vypnout.”

Immediately, it shut off, just as she’d intended it to.

“Okay, then,” said Jo, looking mildly worried, but mostly relieved that Vivianna hadn’t doubled over in pain. “Do you feel anything now?”

“Nothing,” she said, smoothing her hand over her belly.

“Well, if you do feel something in the next few days, let me know. If not, then it’s probably all fine.”

She and Kai went home after that, and Vivianna immediately went to lay on their bed, putting her legs up. “Any news from Portland?”

“Nope. It’s been a week since the twins turned twenty-two. All’s been well. The Gemini Coven is having to adjust. They don’t seem to be making much of a fuss. A few witches did choose to leave. Most are happy. Seems a lot of them didn’t actually like how my dad would run things. Then again, there’s a whole new generation of Geminis compared to when I was there. They’re a lot more open-minded and accepting of the new leaders. Liv and Luke are closer to their age.”

“Do you think the Geminis that left are gonna pose a problem?” asked Vivianna worriedly. 

“I don’t think so. They were old. My dad’s in his sixties. They were already over twenty-two when he became the leader. They’re just some grouchy Baby Boomers. Oh, wow, I just realized all three of us are in different generations. I’m Gen X, I think, and you’re Gen Y… Millennial… and baby’s gonna be Gen Z.”

“Wow, we completed the alphabet,” teased Vivianna. “How perfect.” She then whined, rubbing her cheeks. “My gums still hurt… not to mention I’m gaining so much more weight now. I feel so gross.”

“You’re not gross, Vivi. You’re beautiful.” He leaned over to kiss her. “My beautiful baby mama who I adore more than anything.”

“Last year, around this time, I was worrying about midterms and whether I’d be seeing Julian and Maria for spring break,” Vivianna said, holding his cheek. “And now, I’m fourteen weeks into a pregnancy with a little dino-Voldy baby.”

“A year ago, I was in a prison world, dying nearly every hour just to feel something,” Kai said. “I didn’t think I’d ever get out. I didn’t think I’d meet anyone I could care for this much. I definitely didn't think I’d ever be a dad. So… thank you, Vivi. For believing I was worth more than everyone thought.”

A/N: I'm leaning more towards dinosaur baby being a boy, but I'll just put it to a vote, 'cause I don't mind either way tbh. Boy or girl?

Chapter Text

There was no more hiding that she was pregnant.

She could have tried to, if she really went over the top with the baggy clothes. But even with that, it was much more noticeable each time she sat down. And when she stood up, it was getting to the point where she had to take a few seconds to breathe and adjust to the weight.

The sixteenth week had been one of the worst. The heretics had spent it in the apartment, since Vivianna felt sick, and Kai hadn’t been able to take five days off of work at such short notice.

Beau had made her a calming tea. Valerie had taken over cooking. Nora and Mary Louise had yapped away to distract her. Her gums burned so much more, and her chest ached with heartburn. Not to mention the rapid weight gain was making her back start to hurt a tremendous amount. 

“Dinosaur baby needs to stop whatever it’s doing and just calm down,” she moaned miserably, laying on her side and cradling her stomach. “Why won’t it stop?”

“It’s an incredibly powerful baby,” said Nora. “It seems to magnify any symptoms in you, compared to a human baby of the same age.” She held up the book she was reading on pregnancy. “It says here that by the seventeenth week, most women lost the worst of the symptoms.”

“The seventeenth week can’t come soon enough,” Vivianna groaned. “I haven’t slept much these past few days… all I’ve had is applesauce and pudding… all because my teeth are probably gonna fall out if I have anything harder! My feet are so fucking swollen… I have spider veins on my arms… I pee every time I sneeze or cough…”

“We might be able to fix all that magically,” suggested Mary Louise.

“No… Jo said not to do spells on me… I don’t want the baby to start siphoning…”

“It might already be doing that if this is bothering you so much. There’s no way of knowing for certain, however…”

“I’d settle for just being able to sleep,” said Vivianna as Nora came over to wipe off some of the sweat beading on her forehead. “I swear, this is punishment for every bad thing I ever did… karma is really a bitch.”

The seventeenth week had only been slightly better. The pain in her gums subsided, and she was able to eat more solid foods without fear that she’d swallow a tooth. But the spider veins persisted, as did the heartburn.

“Maybe I should take some time off,” said Kai. “We got an extra cook because of the holidays, I can spend a few days away…”

“I can go back to work,” she said, albeit weakly as the heretics walked them to campus for her afternoon shift. “I’ll be fine. But tonight, I really need you to help me sleep. This is getting absurd. At this rate, I’ll fall asleep in the middle of stamping books. Just tell me, what’s your progress with Liz Forbes?”

“I’m gonna try my spell today, to see if I can stop the tumor from growing. If five days pass without growth anywhere, it buys us time to find a way to reverse the damage. I’ve been working on a spell, but there’s no way of telling if it’ll work until I try this first one.”

“I believe in you,” said Vivianna gently, kissing his cheek. “Tonight, though? Maybe we can fall asleep watching a movie or something?”

“I’ll be there.”

Once he made sure Vivianna made it to the library safely, he went to see Jo, for one final review of their procedure.

“I don’t know much about writing spells,” said Jo, “but this looks good. You should be proud. You learned this all yourself.”

“Well, Vivi helped just a little,” said Kai, rubbing the back of his head. “Speaking of which… is it okay if I just do the spell and go? Vivi wants me home tonight to help her sleep, and I’m thinking of making her some dinner beforehand.”

“How is she?” asked Jo worriedly.

“Not good. Lots of pain again. I don’t know how to help her, Jo. I try to stay awake but I always end up passing out. I wake up and her eyes are still open and she’s been stroking my hair the entire time. She feels bad keeping me up, but she can’t really rest. She’s been having trouble walking, and her chest is hurting a lot. Do you think the baby’s siphoning?”

“Well, these symptoms are common with normal pregnancies, so there’s really no telling. Some women just have it really hard. Is she off-balance?”

“Uh, I think so, she stumbles a bit. Is that bad?”

“Also a somewhat normal symptom as she adjusts to the weight gain. Unfortunately, until she starts complaining of extreme fatigue and tingling in her stomach and limbs, there won’t be any other indicators that the baby is siphoning from her. She’ll know for sure when it’s happening. I think I may have found a solution. A jewelry set she can wear. Two bracelets, a necklace, and two anklets to keep it balanced. It should keep the baby from siphoning off of her. There’s just one problem. Long term, it might make it want to be born sooner. Which means she can’t wear them everyday. Just when it gets really bad. I think the heretics are trying to find another solution, but unless you siphon a bit from her every day, the baby will be drawn to siphoning from her.”

“But you said siphoning from her could hurt her.”

“Exactly. I really wish there was research on this, but there isn’t. The best we can hope for is that she can hold on until it’s time to give birth. And if it’s becoming too much… then we have to get it out of her.”

“What’s the earliest it can be born and survive?”

“In extreme cases, as early as twenty-three weeks. We want to aim for it to be at least thirty-seven weeks.”

Kai put his hands together over his mouth. “Holy shit. That is a big difference. She’s not even halfway there. If it keeps going like this…”

The doors of the room they were in burst open, and Stefan was there, carrying an unconscious male. “I need help.”

Jo had to take care of getting the man, named Colin (who was actually dead, and apparently in transition), a room in the hospital, while Kai had to pretend to be her and email a doctor at Duke asking for Colin’s medical records.

“This head scan is from earlier this week,” said Jo, showing a scan with few red spots in the man’s brain. “This one was taken right here, ten minutes ago. See all that red?”

“Holy shit,” muttered Kai, speaking for all present. “What the hell does that mean, medically? What happened to this guy?”

“Caroline fed him her blood, thinking it would cure the cancer,” said Stefan. “But the blood didn’t heal him… it sped up his cancer and killed him.”

Jo nodded. “So now, I have a stage ten cancer patient. Which, by the way, doesn't exist. Who is beyond terminally ill and a vampire, meaning all of his emotions are heightened and he can't die.”

“Hey, no offense,” said Damon from the back of the room, “but could someone tell me why I was called down here to listen to the story of Colin the Cancer Vamp?”

At that moment, Liz Forbes walked in with her daughter. “Because Caroline fed me her blood last night. So the same thing is gonna happen to me.”

Kai forgot he was supposed to go home earlier. He forgot to even check his phone. If he had, he would have seen several concerned texts from Vivianna, who was worried that Liz had died.

She hadn’t. After a lot of brainstorming, they’d figured out that Kai could siphon the magic of the blood out of her system. He’d done that, and immediately after, Liz had had a heart attack, which left her incredibly weak.

There was no delaying the spell. While Stefan lured Caroline away to get some food and talk about what happened, Kai had been allowed to siphon from Elena, who had kept the plan secret from Damon for obvious reasons. 

Hands hovering over the woman’s head, he’d chanted, “Phasmatos sana pausa prohibere incrementum. Phasmatos sana pausa prohibere incrementum…”

He’d gone at it until the magic ran out, and as soon as it was finished, Kai started to ask her a series of prepared questions to assess how different her body felt after the spell.

“I’m fine, I promise,” said Liz quietly. “I feel good. Not much different. I guess we’ll see later on.”

“I’m sorry, in advance, if it doesn’t work,” mumbled Kai. “I tried… I tried really hard.”

“I know you did. And I appreciate it. Even if this can’t be reversed… you bought me time with my daughter. That’s something I’ll never be able to repay you for.”

He cracked a small smile. “I’d settle for some parenting advice.”

“The greatest bit of advice I can give you is to love your child no matter what,” said Liz. “When I first found out about Caroline being a vampire… I was appalled. And maybe it was different for me because my daughter had changed… so much. Perhaps it isn’t applicable for everything. But I think, in general, it’s something to keep in mind. Kids go through their phases where they want to dye their hair different colors and they want to speak in British accents for no reason… just let them. Support them. If it’s a very drastic change to their body, talk them through it as thoroughly as you can. If it’s a temporary thing… no sense in holding back. It helps them explore and learn about what they like.

“Limiting them does them no good. They need to feel free and safe to explore. If their own parents make them feel like they have to hide parts of themselves… they learn to bottle things up, and it becomes unhealthy. You want your child to feel like they can be honest without having to worry about how you’ll react. They’re gonna make mistakes. And maybe they’ll want to do things you don’t agree with. But as long as they’re safe… as long as they're happy… there’s no point in yelling at them or making them feel afraid. Talk to them about their choices. Teach them early on about how to be safe in every situation. Understand that they have their own little mind and that they need room to flourish.

“I wished more than anything to change everything about Caroline, when I learned that she’d been turned. I almost hurt her, because I stuck with my beliefs that vampires were cruel. And look at her. She is so much happier and accomplished now than she ever was as a human. I learned to accept, and it helped me keep a healthy relationship with my daughter. Her father never accepted her. He died in her arms, choosing not to transition because vampires were evil to him. Again… this situation is likely drastically different than what your child will go through. But just… be patient. Accept them. Love them. And you’ll find your kid feeling more comfortable with you than most feel with their parents.”

Kai smiled slightly. “Thanks. If there’s one thing I’m really scared of, it’s being a shitty dad. I didn’t have a good one, and I still worry it’ll carry over. Vivi… she worries about being a bad mom, but she just… she has this way of knowing how to do everything and always figuring something out.”

“Just remember, happy parents, happy baby. Communicate with her. Respect her. Value her insight. Be partners while you go through each stage of your kid’s life. You’ll find it makes it a lot easier.”

Thinking about Vivi had made him remember his promise. He looked at the clock, and his heart sank. Her shift had ended quite a while ago. She would have been home ages ago.

“Shit, shit, shit,” he muttered to himself as he ran to their apartment from the parking lot. He’d seen all her texts, filled with question marks about whether he’d be coming home soon or not.

“Vivi, I’m sorry,” he said as he burst through the door, rushing to get his coat off and going to the kitchen to start making her something to eat. “Something came up, and I completely forgot…”

She didn’t answer, and he feared that she was angry. “Baby, I’m sorry,” he said, going to the bedroom. “I—”

She was on the ground, and from the looks of it, she was unconscious.

He turned her on her side immediately, and saw that the spider veins that had previously been on her arms had now risen to her neck. He put his hand on her stomach, and felt more magic radiating from it than he’d ever sensed in her body.

“No, no!” he said, immediately pulling out his phone and calling Elena. Surely she was still at Whitmore Hospital. “Holy fuck, please pick up, please pick up…”

“You called at a very bad time,” answered Damon. “Call back lat—”

“Wait, don’t hang up!” Kai said frantically. “You gotta help me… there isn’t time to call an ambulance! Vivi’s passed out, I think the baby’s siphoning from her already!”

There was a woosh on the other end of the line, and next thing he knew, Damon and Elena were in the doorway. “Come in,” he said loudly, allowing them to rush in.

Elena bit into her wrist, but Kai waved his hand to stop her. “No vampire blood! It’s just gonna make the kid siphon more, it won’t heal her. Help me lift her—”

The two vampires grabbed her immediately. “Get her to Jo,” said Damon, which made Elena nod before speeding off with Vivianna. Damon grabbed onto Kai, following suit. They landed in Jo’s office just before she was about to clock out.

Kai couldn’t remember ever feeling so scared. He wasn’t allowed in the room while Jo and a few other doctors started to work on Vivianna. He didn’t have vampiric hearing, so he had no idea what they were saying. Elena was helping Jo, and Damon had called his mother to get the heretics to the hospital.

“This can’t be happening,” said Kai, feeling his eyes burning as he paced in the maternity waiting area, which was currently empty. “This can’t be happening!” He kicked one of the chairs aside, letting out an angry growl as he grabbed it, then threw it across the room. “Damn it!”

“Kai.”

He turned and saw Jo had exited the room. “Well?” he said eagerly. “What is it? Is she okay?”

“She’s gonna be okay,” said Jo. “I… I didn’t even think that spider veins could be a symptom of the siphoning. It’s been sucking up her magic, and it’s weakening her blood vessels. She got lightheaded and fainted. You arrived just on time. The damage could have been irreversible.”

“This is all my fault,” he said, holding his head. “I told her I’d be home and I wasn’t. If I’d been home earlier, I could have brought her in sooner. She could have died! She could have… she could have died… the baby could have died… I would have lost both of them…”

“This was out of your control,” said Jo. “What happened, happened, and there’s no changing that. Accept it, and do better next time. She’s gonna be fine, Kai. She needs to stay in the hospital for at least a week, but she should be good to go home after that. I gave her the jewelry I made. It’s helping.”

He started to cry, and slowly sank to the floor. Jo knelt down beside him. “Kai,” she said gently, “you couldn’t have known. You reacted right. You called the right people, you made sure she got to the hospital on time.”

“I got lucky,” he said, his voice cracking. “If you hadn’t been here…”

“The other doctors would have still known what to do. You know what to look out for next time. If she starts getting spider veins anywhere, then you put the jewelry on. As soon as they’re gone, take it off. Baby will learn not to be hurting her. It doesn’t know any better, it’s just trying to develop faster.”

“Can I see her? Is she awake?”

“Not yet. I’m gonna have the heretics examine her when they arrive. They’ll be able to hear the heartbeat and sense whether it’s calmed down or not. Chances are, she got agitated, and it took advantage of that.”

“She got agitated because of me. Because I didn’t show up, and she probably thought something had happened to me.”

Jo didn’t get to say anything more, because at that moment, the heretics walked in, and she quickly ushered them into Vivianna’s room.

“Hey,” said Elena, coming to sit with him while the heretics did their thing. “You okay?”

“I’m not okay,” he said bluntly. “She almost died because I wasn’t there.”

“But she didn’t die, Kai.”

“She almost did. If I’d been there, I could have gotten her here sooner. What if it had been worse? What if I hadn’t gotten there in time?”

Elena pursed her lips. “There’s no telling what would or wouldn’t have happened. She could have collapsed tomorrow in the bathroom where no one was there to help. She could have collapsed earlier at work. She could have passed out in the middle of the night when you were sleeping. We don’t know. It happened this way, and we managed to find a solution. That’s what matters.”

“I’m the worst dad ever,” said Kai. “Jo’s right. I’m not there for her as much as I should be. I am scared. Scared to get attached because I know that if I lose her, I won’t be able to handle it. I need you to promise me something.”

Elena frowned slightly. “Um… okay.”

“If something happens to her… and if I… if I can’t handle it… I need you to promise me that you’ll raise this kid as if it was your own.”

“But… but why me? Why not one of your sisters—?”

“Because I don’t want this kid anywhere near my dad. They were closer to him. He could find a way to get to them. I saw the way you were with Vivi at Christmas. You want kids. You’d be a good mom. If I lose her and I can’t be a good dad, that kid's gonna need someone to be there for them. Someone who will put them first. Someone who will be able to help them. You want to be a doctor, you have the desire to be a mom. You’re the one I want to take care of it if something happens to Vivi. Because I can’t do it. If I lose her, I’m gonna go crazy, and I’ll just end up hurting it. Promise me, Elena.”

“I… I promise. But Kai… none of us would let it get to that point. We’re not gonna let her die. And if she does… we won’t leave you to deal with this alone. All of us feel connected to this kid. Lily told me that Nora and Mary Louise are going on and on about all the cute outfits they’ll buy for it. Beau is preparing kid-friendly flashcards to teach it sign language early on. Valerie and Caroline have been getting along better, and they’ve been brainstorming about what sorts of housewarming gifts they want to get for you guys and the kid once it’s born. Even Damon’s excited, saying that he’ll be the cool uncle that gives the best presents at Christmas. You’re not alone. We’re all gonna help you through any and every obstacle that comes your way. You’ve proven to us that you’re worth it.”

Kai wiped his eyes, trying to stop crying, but finding that it was difficult. He nodded, just to show that he’d heard her. He wanted to believe more than anything that it was going to be alright, but it sure as hell didn’t feel like it, most days.

“She’s awake,” said Jo about an hour later. “You can go in and see her.”

Kai had leapt out of his seat, rushing to the room, and finding Vivianna looking groggy, but otherwise fine.

“What’s going on?” she murmured. “Why am I here?”

“I’m so sorry,” Kai blurted out, holding her face. “Princess… I’m so sorry. I didn’t show up. I stayed here later than I planned and like an idiot, I didn’t check my phone, and I got home and you were on the ground… the baby was siphoning and you guys were… you weren’t doing too good…”

“You’re crying,” she noticed, reaching her hand up. “Don’t cry… you were helping Liz… I figured something might have gone wrong…”

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

She took several deep breaths before saying, “I remember seeing the clock. It was nine-thirty. I told myself I’d start the movie and then you’d probably show up halfway. I had just closed the curtains and was going to the bed when I heard something outside. I started to go to the front door, and suddenly, I felt like I was gonna explode. I felt like there was just too much magic in me. And I felt the baby start to siphon. I heard someone talking outside. I tried to call for help. I don’t think they heard me. The magic suddenly stopped, but the baby kept siphoning. Then everything went dark.”

Kai frowned. “Okay… do you remember seeing anything weird before you went into the apartment? How did you get home?”

“Nora took me, and dropped me off at the door. When I went in, this old lady came by asking for directions to one of the apartments. She asked how far along I was… all casual conversation. I don’t know, I guess she was just someone’s grandma.”

“Did you tell her your name?”

“I told her it was Valeria.”

“And did she tell you her name?”

“Um… yeah… I haven’t heard this name ever. Alhena, I think?”

Kai went pale, and he immediately took out his phone, rushing to check some of his text messages.

“No, no, no…” he said quietly. “They must have found us.”

“Please don’t tell me you mean your dad,” said Vivianna fearfully.

“Alhena is this old lady who used to babysit me and Jo. She and my dad were friends.”

Kai's fists balled up as soon as he confirmed Alhena’s name was on the list of people who had recently deserted the Gemini Coven. “The baby didn’t start siphoning randomly, Vivi. They made it start to siphon. They were trying to kill the both of you.”

Chapter Text

The hospital was their temporary home.

Kai refused to let her anywhere near the apartment. With Damon’s help, he’d gotten their things packed and loaded into a moving truck. They’d be living at the Salvatore House until they knew they were safe. The Mystic Falls Hospital wasn’t as good as Whitmore’s, but it would have to serve its purpose in the meantime. 

Kai was working like a madman trying to find Alhena. If he located her, chances were, he’d locate his father, too. He needed to wipe them off the face of the Earth to keep Vivianna and the baby safe. 

Though Vivianna appreciated his efforts, she wished he’d just be with her more often. What she needed was to feel safe. And while the heretics were helping with that by guarding her room, she found she felt a lot better when she was in his arms. 

Week eighteen was spent in the hospital. Vivianna was too unwell to move much, and she was sleeping so often that an IV had been inserted to keep her and the baby receiving nutrients. 

“Hi,” she told Jo when she came to visit her in the middle of the week. “What’s up?” 

“I thought Kai would be here,” said Jo. “I guess not…”

“He’s working,” said Vivianna. “On what, I don’t know. Could be Liz’s next spell or the Locator Spell on Alhena. Why, do you need to talk to him?”

Jo nodded. “To the both of you. Week eighteen is here… means we can find out your baby’s sex. If you want, that is.”

“I think we should wait for things to settle down,” murmured Vivianna. “No sense in getting excited when… it might not go well for us.”

Jo sighed, and came to sit beside her, taking her hand. “I can’t imagine how frightening it was, being attacked and not even knowing it. Nearly losing your life and the baby’s in one. I swear, we’re going to protect you. A little bit of hope is nothing bad. Maybe it could be something to look forward to.”

“Either way, it’s the kind of news I’d like to receive when Kai is here. But he isn’t, so…”

“Maybe I could give you some other news? The kind I can tell him another time.”

“What is it?”

Jo bit her lip and blushed. “I’m pregnant.”

Vivianna’s eyes widened. “What? Really? How far along?”

“About six weeks as of yesterday. Ric planned this really beautiful proposal with breakfast in bed and it didn’t go well because I started throwing up, and I thought it was food poisoning until I… I started to wonder. I took a test and there it was. Ric and I are engaged now, too.”

“Oh my god, congratulations!” said Vivianna. “Aw… and I was worried this little one might not have supernaturals its age to play with, aside from the tribrid. Your baby will be a little witch.”

Jo beamed. “Yeah, I’m a lot more excited now, knowing that at least I got some experience being a doctor for a pregnant woman. I know what to expect. I studied all this in medical school but I’d never actually had to be the primary doctor for a case like this. I work in the ER, it’s all limited there.”

“Who else knows?”

“I told Liv and Luke already. I wanted to tell Kai, but I’ll have to do that later. Damon will know, because Ric likely told him. And then Elena will find out, then Caroline and Bonnie and all the others. I did ask the twins to keep it a secret from the Coven, though. My dad will no doubt want to come and see me, and considering you’re still here, it’d be giving him direct access to you.”

Vivianna half-smiled. “So, when’s the wedding? Should I expect to um… be wearing a regular dress or a maternity dress?”

“Caroline insisted that June is the best month for weddings. Since it’s costly to hire a wedding planner, and she needs something to occupy her mind whenever she’s not with her mom, Ric and I hired her to get it all put together. She thinks June 23rd is a good date.”

“Maternity dress it is,” said Vivianna. “Is um… the entire Gemini Coven going to come?”

“I’m going to be very selective about who I invite. People who can keep secrets, mostly. Those who I had a personal relationship with. None of them will recognize you. I highly doubt they spread your picture anywhere. My dad was certain you were going to be trapped in that prison world and not come out. He didn’t take any measures to ensure your identity was known if that didn’t go his way.”

“What about Kai? They’re gonna recognize him. Is… is he gonna be able to be there?”

Jo bit her lip. “I want him to be there. I really do. Since I won’t be inviting my dad… I was kind of hoping he might walk me down the aisle. I’ve felt so much more connected to him these past months and it feels like the right thing to do. Damon’s going to be the best man. Liv would be the maid of honor. Luke and Elena would be the next ones in the procession. It makes sense for Kai to be the one to lead me to the altar.”

“As long as I don’t have to walk too much,” said Vivianna. “I’ll be almost ready to give birth by then. I don’t think I’ll be able to move anywhere. I can’t even move much right now.”

Jo smiled. “Don’t worry, you can be in charge of the gift table. Just sit there, smile, say thank you, and then just relax through the party.”

“I’m happy for you, Jo,” said Vivianna. “Seriously. I hope our kids can be really close. They are gonna be cousins, after all. And then eventually Liv and Tyler might have a kid… then Luke might have a kid… and it’ll be a little group of tiny supernaturals learning to use their powers.”

That had been good enough news in the sense that it took her mind off of her concerns. But soon enough, it became a concern itself. What if Jo had trouble in her pregnancy, too? Who’d help her with that? What if her father decided that baby was a danger too? He had no problem trying to kill his first grandchild, who wasn't even born yet. Would this one become a problem for him, too?

Kai had had a similar series of questions in his head when he heard the news. He wanted to be happy, he did. After all, Jo had always wanted to be a mother, she’d simply never felt like she could settle down. He trusted Alaric wouldn’t hurt her, but it seemed they’d known each other even less time than Kai and Vivianna had. Was it truly going to be perfect? Was it truly going to be safe? None of that was guaranteed. And he was scared that he’d lose Jo if something went wrong. 

He channeled most of his negative emotions into finding Alhena. He had Locator Spells happening every day as he siphoned from different magical objects and people who were offering their help. Nothing. He tried to concentrate on finding his dad, but found himself blocked. Those deserters must have been helping him stay cloaked. 

He feared that Joshua Parker was already somewhere in Virginia, and just waiting for the right moment to strike. Surely by now he knew Vivianna had survived. Surely he knew that Kai was out and about. Perhaps he wasn’t foolish enough to attack, with the heretics on guard. But he’d find a way. He always found a way to cause him harm.

He was more terrified of what he’d do when he did find them. Would he be overwhelmed with guilt, now that he could feel it? Or would he be apathetic? He figured it could be more of the latter, considering these people nearly killed the mother of his child and said child. But they had been people he knew. Vivianna always told him that she’d never killed people she knew when she was a mercenary. It kept her from getting too overwhelmed. No matter what they’d done, they were still familiar. People he remembered. What if he couldn’t shake the guilt? What if it took a toll on him? What if he was just going to be setting a bad example for the baby?

He was thinking along the same lines as Vivianna. Wanting to delay finding out the sex of the baby. Not wanting to have too much hope. It would feel so much worse if he were to lose both of them.

“Hi there,” said Kai at the start of the twentieth week, once he’d gotten their room at the Salvatore House completely set up. “Ready to get going?”

“Definitely,” Vivianna said. “I’m sick of hospitals and I was only here for two and a half weeks.”

“Hopefully we won’t have to come back here anytime soon. Jo’s not gonna take weekend shifts anymore, which is good, ‘cause she’ll be over here in Mystic Falls at Ric’s apartment whenever she’s not having to work. At least on weekends she’ll be available all the time.”

“It’s exciting, isn’t it?” she said softly. “Knowing that our kid has already got a cousin in the making. Someone to relate to.”

“I definitely never thought it’d get to this point.” He helped her to her feet, leading her out of the hospital and to the parking lot, where their car was waiting.

“Any news?” she asked. “Is Alhena still in Virginia or is she gone?”

“I can’t find her,” said Kai, trying to keep his anger from rising. Each time he heard the woman’s name, he wanted to break something. “But we’ll get her. I won’t let that evil bitch be roaming around trying to find us again. At least at the Salvatore House we’ll be safer. The heretics will be even closer. Within earshot. If anything goes wrong, they’ll hear it. Plus, Damon and Stefan are gonna be there every day.”

“So I’ll be spending my time with the Salvatore brothers. Awesome.”

“The heretics will still come over, to make sure you’re not bored. But um… limiting your time out in the streets might be beneficial.”

She nodded. She understood why. She just wished it didn’t have to be that way.

The Salvatore Boarding House wasn’t a terrible place to live. She found it fancy. The showers were a lot nicer. There was a much bigger kitchen. Not to mention entire libraries and lounge areas. She just felt like she was in a frat house the majority of the time.

That week started off better. Albeit feeling under the weather, she was easily able to walk around the lower floor without getting winded. She cooked big meals for lunch for everyone to enjoy. Lay on a couch for hours at a time reading. Took a stroll in the gigantic backyard to have the sun shine on her just for a little bit.

Perhaps that was what she’d needed all along. To be closer to people. To feel more connected. The apartment complex had been nice, but they hadn’t exactly befriended their neighbors. They were never around at the same time. Plus, they hadn’t expected to stay there very long, anyway. There was no sense in being friendly just to leave soon after.

“Morning,” said Damon when she walked in at the end of that week. “What’s for lunch today?”

“Well, March has just started,” she said, going to check the refrigerator. “Is there any themed food for that? I think I might make grilled chicken and pasta again. Is your girlfriend coming home this weekend? She’s been wanting to learn how to make that.”

“I think she’s staying at Whitmore this time around to get some extra hours in at the hospital.”

“Alright then, I’ll have to teach her next week. Where’s Stefan?”

“With Valerie. Guess they got a mission of sorts.”

Vivianna figured that Valerie had finally located the Phoenix Stone and had enlisted Stefan to help her get it. The others didn’t exactly know about what Julian had done to her. 

“How’s Caroline? Is Liz still working?”

“She is. She’s apparently been feeling a lot better.”

Vivianna tried to hide a smile. Of course she was feeling better. Kai had successfully stopped her tumor from growing. Her condition wasn’t worsening. 

“So, which heretics are coming by today?” asked Damon, holding up the bottle of bourbon he apparently planned to open. “‘Cause I told Beau I’d only open this bottle when he came by.”

“I think it’s Nora and Mary Louise, like yesterday. If Valerie’s with Stefan, Beau won’t come. He’ll want to keep your mom company.”

“Ahh… Nora. Is it just me or does she look like she could be my sister?”

“Oh, I definitely noticed that. I know you guys said your dad had a kid with a maid during the Civil War, but are you sure your mom didn’t have one before she got consumption?”

“I’d think I know if my mom had a kid before then. I was seventeen when she died. I think I’d have noticed something.”

“Hmm.” Vivianna pursed her lips. “Well, that’s true. She does look a lot like you, though. Same eyes. Then again, you and Kai have similar eyes. Maybe he’s related to her. They heretics are all from the Gemini Coven, after all. There are so many different bloodlines that form a part of it, but there are only so many options for marriage and stuff, chances are some of them came together.”

“Just do one of those DNA test things,” said Damon, popping a grape ito his mouth while she started gathering materials to make herself breakfast. “That might be good for if the kid has any genetic stuff you should be aware of.”

“Not a bad idea. We did have that concern. Ooh, that reminds me, what’s Bonnie up to? I heard she’s not in Santa Fe anymore, ‘cause Elena said Bonnie would come by soon to give me some new medicines that might help with the heartburn. Are she and Jeremy not a thing anymore?”

“I don’t even know. Little Gilbert cheated on her with a ghost one time, and when she died, he started sleeping around immediately. I don’t think they ever really got past that. I mean, I don’t really care, but I do know that Enzo has a thing for her.”

“I noticed, at Christmas. That guy creeps me out a bit. Maybe it’s just because I haven’t really gotten to know him.”

“The dude’s a secret softie once you get to know him, trust me. I thought he had a weird thing going on with my mom, ‘cause she’s the one that turned him, but I guess his mommy issues aren’t that bad, cause it kinda just boiled down to wanting some parental affection.”

Vivianna scrunched up her nose. “Oh, no, Enzo and your mom? That’s just weird.”

“You’re telling me. The dude is one of my best friends these days and knowing he had a crush on her is just oh… bleh. Bad image in my mind. He’d be better off with Bonnie.”

“Well, she did seem to be attracted to him. Maybe we’ll know soon. She’s very honest. Eventually she’ll tell him what she feels. She could be waiting for things to calm down. She’s been trying to locate the Gemini deserters, too, and… it’s not going well.”

“Maybe no news is good news,” said Damon. “Maybe they all died in a car accident and that’s why no one’s heard of them.”

“If they were dead, they would have been found by now. But they haven’t been. We suspect they’re planning something big.”

“If you're really worried they’ll attack, I can have Stefan and Caroline contact their mutual ex-boyfriend.”

“What?”

“It’s a running joke. Stefan used to be best friends with Klaus Mikaelson in the twenties, and then Klaus and Caroline had a thing awhile back. He’s the tribrid’s dad. And now that we know little Hope Mikaelson is alive, maybe he’d be willing to team up.”

“I know we’ve joked about a partnership with the Originals before, but they might just want something in return. Something we can’t provide. Besides, telling them the truth is risky. Anyone could be tracking our texts and calls. It’s a risk. Everything’s a risk until we find the people who attacked us. Traveling that far… it’s not like we can have you guys escort us the whole way, that’s ridiculous. Plus it puts all of you in danger and…”

Vivianna suddenly gripped the counter, putting a hand on her stomach. 

“What is it?” asked Damon urgently. “Do you feel sick again? Do we have to take you to the hospital?”

“No, no,” she said, taking a moment to breathe. “It just felt weird for a moment. Like this jolt inside.” She put her hand on the other side of her stomach, before smiling a bit. “I think it’s kicking for the first time.”

“Oh, shit,” said Damon. “So it really is playing soccer in there.”

“Do you want to feel—?”

“Uh… no, it’s okay…” but when she came closer, he reached his hand out tentatively. She placed his palm right over the spot where the baby was kicking, and his eyebrows shot up. “That’s a strong kick. Wow…”

“Did you ever want kids?” she asked, feeling him moving his hands around, tracking the baby’s movement. “When you were human?”

“It was kind of the norm back then,” he murmured, feeling another kick. “You grow up, you get married, have a family of your own. Now, it’s a lot more normalized to be able to be single and alone all your life. I guess I have thought about it more lately… ‘cause it’s all Elena can talk about ever since we found out you were pregnant.”

“When’s her birthday?” asked Vivianna. “Maybe we could give the cure to her… then Caroline, if she wants it, then you get it from Caroline and keep it in your system.”

“We already had this conversation with Blondie. She prefers being a vampire. But she wants kids, too. She’s talking about adopting with Stefan, now that she knows he and Valerie aren’t actively trying to be together. But… but if you gave one of the cures to Elena…”

“We’d still have the other, in case Kai wants it, or I want it. I just think it might be nice to give you and Elena a chance to have it, you know. If you two wanted to have kids of your own.”

Damon’s eyes were shining with gratitude. “Her birthday is June 22nd. A day before the wedding’s supposed to take place.”

“Keep it a secret, then,” said Vivianna with a smile. “Start to prepare anything you’ll need to become human. Have a conversation with your brother. That’ll be Kai and I’s present for her. Which, technically, is something she already earned because she’s the one that sprinted like a bazillion miles to get it in the first place.”

“This is all so weird to me,” said Damon, not knowing what to say. “When we met, you were an all super-serious mercenary and he was an annoying sociopath. And now you’re gonna be a mom and dad. To a kid who’s gonna play in the World Cup one day.”

She shrugged. “Not what we expected, but it’s better than anything we could have thought of.”

“Thank you for this. Really… she’s gonna be so happy.”

“Of course. Thank you, for letting us live here. And her, for all that she’s done for us.”

Vivianna made sure to have a doctor’s appointment prepared for that afternoon, before Kai returned. As soon as he walked through the door, she handed him a plate of food and told him to go back to the car. He hadn’t objected, and the two had gone to the nearest doctor’s office to get a check-up for the baby.

“I can’t believe it,” said Kai, running his hand on her belly. “I missed its first kick. Oh! There’s another one.”

“It’s really excited today,” said Vivianna. “Probably knows that after today, we’ll start calling it by an actual name.”

“It’s okay, little one,” said Kai, pressing his lips to her belly. “You’ll always be ‘dinosaur baby’ to me.”

The radiologist came in, greeting them casually before getting started on the ultrasound. “Baby looks perfectly healthy,” said the radiologist. “Would you like to know the sex?”

“Yes, we would,” said Kai, taking Vivianna’s hand and squeezing it.

The radiologist started to move the ultrasound wand around, humming to himself. “Do you have names prepared?”

“We do,” said Vivianna. “Julian if it’s a boy, Valeria if it’s a girl. We didn’t really think of middle names yet…”

"If it's a girl, Valeria Juliana Parker-Zima might be nice," said Kai. "And if it's a boy... well, how does Julian Malachai Parker-Zima sound? Is it weird naming my kid after me?"

"I think it depends on how often we'll even use its middle name. My parents didn't give us any cause they thought it was ridiculous. Other parents have different opinions."

The radiologist cleared his throat. "Well, you still have time to figure out a middle name. 'Cause it's a boy."

A/N: Only two people said ‘girl,’ everyone else said boy, so mini-Kai it is!

Chapter Text

It seemed Jo had been right.

Knowing more about the baby did give them some hope. And it had been what Vivianna needed to feel better. She felt more comfortable talking to it now. She’d chatter away whenever she was alone, telling Julian everything that he should be looking forward to once he was born. 

Little by little, the symptoms lessened. Her heartburn got under control. She had no more spider veins. Her back hurt, but that was more easily resolved. Staying in the Salvatore House was rather fun for her, and she was making sure to tell Julian all about what Damon and Stefan did to keep her entertained whenever Kai and the heretics weren’t there. 

It could have been because it gave her a distraction. Or perhaps because it gave her a boost of serotonin that helped her feel in control of her life. Either way, she was happier than she had been in awhile. Though Kai hadn’t found the deserters, no other moves had been made. They were safe, for now.

“Today was my birthday,” she whispered to Julian that night, once Kai was already asleep. “Your uncles Damon and Stefan threw me a surprise party, and they had a lot of bourbon even though I can’t drink it. Then, your daddy showed up with cupcakes for everybody. Your auntie Nora gave me a dress, and your aunt Mary Lou got me a baby wrap I can use to hold my belly up whenever you get a bit too heavy. You’re growing so fast, Julian, and it still hurts sometimes, but not as much as before.”

She traced her fingers over the middle of her belly. “I really wish your grandpa and grandma could have been alive to see this. And your uncle Julian and aunt Maria. But it’s gonna be okay, little one. You’ve got me, and your daddy, and all these other friends who want to keep you safe. Your aunt Jo is gonna give you a little cousin, too. You’ll never have to be alone, no matter what happens.”

Though she still had, in the back of her mind, paranoia that she wouldn’t live past the birth, she was starting to believe that things would genuinely be okay. The pregnancy had stopped being difficult. It remained only time consuming, and it kept her feeling impatient. She was anxious to meet her little boy already. Julian hadn’t siphoned again, as if he understood that it was hurting her, which kept her able to talk to him constantly without fatigue.

“He’s a smart boy,” said Valerie softly, leaning down to speak to Vivianna’s belly. “He’s a good Julian, not a bad one.”

“Any progress with the Phoenix Stone?” asked Vivianna, since Valerie had come alone that day, due to Beau taking a trip to check on Malcolm and Oscar (on Lily’s orders).

“No,” she said sadly. “Stefan and I got it weeks ago, and I’ve kept it cloaked, but I still can’t quite figure out how to destroy it.”

“Well, can’t you just blast it to pieces or something?”

“I fear that doing that would release all the vampire souls trapped inside of it. Julian’s soul would be implanted into another person, potentially, or even back to his own body.”

“What’s the move now? Find his body and destroy it?”

“I fear doing that would be too obvious. I must wait to see what Beau reports. Lily is rather cross. She knows they aren’t doing anything to find Julian, and she’s getting desperate. She’s discussed rotating Malcolm and Oscar out for Nora and Mary Louise. Which I do not want, because they will actually try to get him. They won’t be distracted.”

“So as long as his body is destroyed, he can’t come back?”

“Yes. And hopefully, in deactivating the Phoenix Stone as well, I can keep Rayna Cruz from ever trapping another vampire again. Beau’s been marked by her, and I cannot pursue her, or her death would bring about his, and that of any other marked vampire. Perhaps Kai would be willing to siphon from the stone, since he doesn’t have permanent magic. It could help him have some for a while.”

“I worry that magic is too dark. He’s gonna see flashes of torment, and I don’t know if he can handle it. It could hurt his mind and his body. Why can’t you siphon it?”

“I fear it might block me out, as I am a vampire. If I could find a way to keep the flashes from happening, that might help. Perhaps he could siphon a tiny bit every day and use the magic immediately. Don’t worry. I will prioritize destroying Julian’s body first. You just need to make sure Lily hears nothing of this.”

Keeping Lily in the dark was going to be easy. All Vivianna had to do was get her more involved with the baby.

“Damon and I were talking,” she said casually at the start of her twenty-fifth week, “and I was wondering if you have any parenting tips? I’m wondering how one goes about specifically raising a little boy. Caroline’s mother already gave Kai advice, but it was more general.”

It was lucky for her that Lily was trying to have a better relationship with her sons. Now that they were close by, along with the heretics, she felt more comfortable reconnecting with them (even though she’d practically abandoned them after turning). Naturally, this brought up the few nice memories the two brothers had, which left Vivianna an opening to speak to Lily about them.

“Any child will love to get dirty outside,” said Lily pensively. “My boys especially loved to be in the mud. You should always have a change of clothes. Giuseppe used to complain that I always brought each boy another pair of trousers and shirts. It came in handy. Be prepared for him to take after his father a lot. You, of course, will still be a big part of his life. And your little one will adore you. But Kai will be his biggest role model. He will watch him very closely. He will want to dress like him. Therefore, you should ensure that Kai is careful what he says and does. I worry that Damon learned to react with anger because his father would react that way immediately. Keep your relationship healthy, and the baby will be happy.”

“I’m sorry, for what you had to go through,” said Vivianna quietly. “It was unfair and cruel and just awful.”

Lily managed a weak smile. “I’m better now. I went on to find someone who loved me and treated me better than I ever thought possible. I wish I could have met him sooner. You picked a good man, believe me. He is going to be a wonderful father.”

Vivianna felt a bit guilty, recalling the part she was playing in keeping the evil Julian from ever returning to Lily’s side. She figured there was a lot that Lily had looked past. Red flags she ignored because Julian made her happy, and she didn’t want it to end. He may have been good to her, but that didn’t make him a good man. What he’d done to Valerie was unforgivable. He deserved to die. Lily could do much better. 

Thankfully, their conversation did in fact get Lily to ease up. Beau had returned saying Malcolm and Oscar had hit a ‘dead end.’ They had lied saying they’d just been about to get the Phoenix Stone when they realized they’d been following a decoy magical signature. Thus, their search would have to start all over again. Lily had been heartbroken, but she'd distracted herself by spending more time at the Salvatore House to speak with her sons, and with Vivianna. 

That gave Valerie time to locate Julian’s body, bring it back to Whitmore, and burn it beyond recognition. Vivianna had been able to let out a sigh of relief when Valerie reported that Julian’s body was too damaged for his soul to ever return to it.

All that was left now was to deactivate the Phoenix Stone.

“Just think carefully about whether you actually want to do this or not,” said Vivianna to Kai when he’d come up to her at the start of her twenty-seventh week, saying that he could potentially use the Phoenix Stone’s magic to cure Liz Forbes, since it did have the capability of restoring a previously dead vampire to life. “Malachai, this could hurt you.”

“Or it could give me the power I need to pull this off,” said Kai. “Look at Liz! It’s already mid April, and she’s lived a lot longer than she should have. At the rate it was going, she would have died in February, but she didn’t, because I stopped it! I can do this, Vivi, I know I can.”

“I have no doubts that you can heal her. I just need you to consider that this type of magic could have negative side effects. It’s safer for me to take in dark magic. The same can’t be said for you.”

“Valerie said I just need to use it all quickly. Maybe I could start slowly and use it for a Locator Spell, to see if I can find Alhena or my dad or the other deserters. And then, if I feel fine, I’ll take in the rest of it to cure Liz.”

Vivianna pursed her lips. “Ultimately, it’s your choice. I just don’t want you to do something that’s gonna hurt you. This week marks the start of my third trimester. We’re almost there. This Friday is gonna be your birthday. Jo wants you to be there to celebrate with her.”

Kai cupped her face. “I promise, Vivi, if it hurts me, I’ll stop. But if it could help someone… hey… this is me setting a good example for tiny Julian, okay? I didn’t used to be capable of this. Now I am, and I like it. I like helping people. If this can make sure no evil vampires ever come back for revenge, and if this can keep evil psycho huntresses from coming after anyone we care about, then I need to do this.”

“Okay,” she said quietly. “Just don’t overdo it.”

It had gone better than she thought it would. Kai hadn’t been able to locate his father or the deserters with the magic of the stone, but he had been able to store the magic into one of the old dark objects that didn’t have any power anymore. That way, it was on reserve for whenever they got started on the spell to reverse Liz’s tumor. 

“Happy birthday,” she told Kai at the end of that week, when he’d passed his physical exam, ruling out any side-effects of siphoning from the now useless Phoenix Stone. “How does it feel? Being twenty-three and forty-one at the same time.”

“Feels nice,” he said, cuddling up to her. “Cause my baby mama just gave me the best present ever.”

She giggled. “Well, I did also get you some Zima. Which is really hard to find, by the way.”

“Maybe Julian can restart the company,” said Kai, moving his hands down her body and touch her stomach. “Isn’t that right, my little dinosaur? You’ll be a CEO and an engineer and eventually a professor like your mama wants to be.”

“As soon as you’re born, I’m going back to school,” said Vivianna, putting her hand on top of Kai’s. “We can move into an on-campus apartment once we’ve made sure it’s safe. Give us time to study and get our degrees.” She watched as Kai rested his head against her tummy, his hands glowing a bit as he read the magical signature in her body without siphoning.

“I can feel him moving,” he said happily. “He’s already doing magic in there. You know, he’s the size of a cauliflower right about now.”

“And he’s increasing my magical signature more than before,” said Vivianna. “I’m glad it isn’t a big enough beacon to call forth every witch on earth. Otherwise we’d be in trouble.”

All was well for a time. Weeks continued to pass. Kai studied and worked hard, did bits of his spell little by little on Liz, noticing the tumor shrinking quite a bit, but never disappearing completely. 

Vivianna kept a healthy diet, and did some yoga every day with Nora and Mary Louise to try and remain strong. She stayed away from any alcohol and caffeine, and was diligent with her medication to lessen any pain. According to Jo, she was doing everything possible to keep her baby happy, which was good enough for her.

“We’re in the home stretch now,” said Jo in the middle of week thirty-one when Vivianna came in alone for a check-up. “Week thirty-seven is when the pregnancy can be considered full-term, and from there, we just have to wait until little Julian is ready. You may start to feel some contractions around this time, and it’ll continue through the end of the pregnancy. That’s just Braxton Hicks, and it’s gonna prepare you for labor. Unless your water breaks, you can disregard those. Have you decided if you want a natural birth or Cesarean?”

“I want to try for a natural birth,” said Vivianna. “But if something goes wrong, a C-section is a better option, right?”

Jo nodded. “Exactly.” She put a hand on her own belly, which was starting to grow, too. 

“Any idea what it is, yet?” asked Vivianna with a small smile. “You haven’t had ultrasounds as often as I did.”

“Well, because everything is going well, I haven’t had to,” said Jo. “Ric and I are going today to find out. He’s hoping for a boy. I want a girl. We’ll see what Julian ends up with as a playmate. I’m sure he’ll be happy either way.”

“Oh, definitely. If he’s anything like Kai, he’s gonna just want someone to help him be a troublemaker. He’s kicking almost every day now. Every time he hears Kai’s voice, he gets so excited.”

“Have you been talking to him a lot?”

“Mhm. Kai talks to him while having his head on my belly. I’m obviously not that flexible, so maybe Julian recognizes his voice more.”

“Well, Julian’s with you, constantly. He can definitely sense that. Kai’s not there all the time. He misses him.”

“What’s your progress on the wedding? Got everything ready yet?”

“Caroline is already demanding I finalize my choices for appetizers, cake, and colors for the tablecloths among many other things. I got my dress already. Nice and baggy near the front so that my belly isn’t too obvious.”

“I bet you’re gonna look super cute in it. I would hope Ric has his suit by now, but something tells me he’s behind on that.”

“Oh, very. Caroline was scolding him the other day.” She tried to mimic the blonde, saying, “‘Alaric, you can’t wear that suit that you’ve had for years! No, no, no, you have to get a brand new one, it’s your wedding, not someone else’s! You can’t half-ass it!’”

“Definitely sounds like Caroline,” said Vivianna. “Maybe your wedding is a practice run for hers.”

Jo raised a brow. “You know what, I wouldn’t doubt it. What about you and Kai? Are you gonna get married?”

“I don’t even know. We’re not even officially boyfriend and girlfriend. Asking one another felt… unnecessary. We kind of just decided we were partners, then that was it. I never dreamed of what my wedding day would be like. My mom and dad got married in a courthouse, looking like they just came back from a Bon Jovi concert. I was never used to the whole ‘white dress ceremony’ thing that most people learn about when they’re young. I don’t think we can afford that. You can, with your doctor's salary. Kai and I don’t have our careers yet. Our main focus is the house.”

“Ah, that’s one thing we don’t have,” said Jo. “Plans for a house. We’re just gonna keep living in Ric’s apartment and… wing it. We haven’t thought anything out the way you two have. You already know that you want to study and live together then move into a custom-made house when it’s ready. You have it all planned out.”

“We’ve had to,” said Vivianna, more seriously. “Our lives especially are so unpredictable. Julian’s life is unpredictable. I want more than anything to make sure he’ll be safe. We can’t afford to be lazy. We have to know what we’re gonna do in every situation. Did you hear about what happened in New Orleans? The Originals almost died in February. All three. Now, I don’t know what sireline the heretics are from, but I heard that Caroline and the others are from Klaus Mikaelson’s sireline. If the Originals had died, everyone else would have followed suit. And maybe it’s selfish to say this, but what the hell would have happened if all our protectors just… died? The witches would find us immediately.”

Jo looked at her sadly. “I wish there was a way to find them. Liv and Luke have been trying but these witches might as well have been Gemini Elders, even if our Coven doesn’t use those terms. They have more experience than any of us. They know how to keep from being found.”

“The only time anyone lays low for this long is when they’re planning something big. What if they’re just biding their time to come after me?”

“If they come after you, we’ll all be ready. I’ve been practicing a bit of magic every day. I can’t guarantee I’ll be much good in a fight but I can definitely keep you alive, if they do anything. Everyone else is very willing to go up against them and do what needs to be done to defeat them.”

Vivianna pursed her lips. “You do realize that… if they were to attack again… someone might kill your dad, right? If he gets anywhere near me and I have an opening, I will kill him to protect Julian and Kai.”

“I know,” said Jo. “I've come to terms with it. In the past, I would have been terrified at the prospect of losing my father. But after all this time… I just can’t defend him. I can’t pretend he wasn’t a bitter and evil man since the start. I let his words sink into me, and I believed that what he was doing was good. Abusing Kai was just wrong and I enabled it. No more. If he dares lay a hand on that baby again, I’ll gladly step back and watch him die. I don’t think I have it in me to kill him, but I definitely won’t be protecting him from it. He made his choice. And he’s choosing to try and hurt his own grandchild to dissipate some absurd fear. The same fear he had with Kai. He thought that letting Kai be the leader would mean the destruction of the Gemini Coven. So he shut him down. Beat him until all Kai felt was rage. It had the opposite effect than what was intended. My dad went about it all wrong. He was a complete psycho. He can be afraid all he wants but he has no right to take matters into his own hand to end the life of a baby he’s never even met.”

“And will never meet, even if he doesn’t make a move,” said Vivianna. “I don’t want him to be a part of my baby’s life. Never. After what he did to Kai, I can’t forgive him.”

“Nor can I.”

It was now time to really prepare everything they would need. Kai started looking for an on-campus apartment for them, with enough space for all of Julian’s necessities. They purchased a crib, mattress, and bedding, a car seat, along with a carrier and several little outfits for its first few weeks. Kai built a rocking chair from scratch while Vivianna prepared their inventory of bottles, pacifiers, and put together a mobile using just a little bit of magic to keep in the habit of using it. 

“We have an abundance of cloths by now,” said Kai, having counted forty just from one trip to the store. “And the heretics got us a lot of cute blankets and onesies and hats.”

“And we’re gonna get diapers at the baby shower,” said Vivianna, holding her belly as she knelt down to get her shoes. “Caroline said she already gave everyone a list of things to get us. Which is funny because it’s all the same people we talk to on a daily basis."

It was a quiet little celebration with few games. They got a baby tub, a stroller, several bags, and even a breast pump (which Damon thought was an absolutely hilarious gift). Vivianna had eaten some very good finger food Kai had made, and had gone to sleep after crossing the end of week thirty-five on the calendar. 

“Soon, my little prince,” said Kai, kissing her tummy before pressing himself up against her body, wrapping his arm around her middle. “I completely missed it, you know. Over a month ago already. The day we met.”

“We’ve only known each other for a year and are already about to have our baby boy,” she whispered. “If that’s not fate, I don’t know what is.”

Kai smiled, burying his face in her neck. "Hey, Vivi? I love you."

She immediately rolled to lay on her other side so that she could face him. "You mean that?" she whispered.

He nodded. "Yeah. A year ago I couldn't feel love at all. Then I met you. I don't think I've ever been more sure of anything in my life. I love you, Vivi Zima."

Vivianna leaned over to kiss him on the lips. "I love you, Malachai Parker."

Chapter Text

It was the day before the wedding.

Caroline was going crazy. Jo was going crazy. Everyone else had an unspoken agreement to just step back and do whatever was asked of them without questioning it.

“You’re gonna lure her to the bachelorette party,” said Caroline in the afternoon, holding Vivianna’s shoulders. “The rest of us are gonna decorate and surprise her. At exactly five, I need you to go to the hospital as her shift ends and ask to talk to her. Lead her here, ask if she wants to get a bite to eat with you. Got it?”

“Yes, for sure,” said Vivianna, though she was panicking on the inside. What the hell was she supposed to say to Jo to get her to suspect nothing?

“Hi there,” she said, catching Jo as she left the hospital.

“Vivianna,” said the doctor in surprise. “Why are you here by yourself?”

“Oh, Nora and Mary Louise are um, having a moment, and I thought to surprise you,” she said, before offering her arm. “Care to help me walk to get some food?”

Jo held out her arm, and Vivianna took it. “I’m not looking forward to this part of pregnancy.”

“Tell me about it,” the Traveler said, cradling her swollen belly. “I feel like I have a bowling ball strapped to my body. Kai massages my legs nearly every day and walking is still a chore.” She started to guide her toward one of the restaurants, which would be the location of the party. Elena had compelled the owner to close early, but keep a few employees there to make them food. Caroline had already taken care of paying them as compensation. 

“Today, I’m craving burgers,” said Vivianna, speaking loud enough for Caroline and the others to hear them approaching. “Yesterday, I wanted more than anything to have authentic Italian food. Poor Kai drives all over the city getting me anything I want. I try to not feel guilty, but blaming Julian feels wrong, so really, it is all my fault.”

Right before they could open the door, someone tapped Jo’s shoulder.

“Dr. Laughlin?” the man asked, perfectly on schedule. 

Jo blinked. “Yes?”

“I’m Officer Baker,” he said. “Do you think we could go inside and speak privately?”

Jo looked worried, but nodded as she opened the door and walked inside with the ‘police officer.’ Vivianna stayed outside, texting Caroline to make sure no one jumped up too early.

Since the restaurant appeared empty, Jo hadn’t questioned it. Vivianna heard a muffled conversation before suddenly, the man tore his uniform off.

“SURPRISE!” Everyone yelled, bursting out from behind tables as Vivianna opened the door, letting the employees back inside so they could cook.

“Oh, wow!” said Jo, her eyes wide as the man, who was actually a stripper, started to dance up against her body. “Oh my god— this can’t be happening!”

“Happy bachelorette!” Caroline, Elena, and Bonnie ran forward, starting to dance around Jo. Vivianna slipped past them, going to one of the tables and sitting down with Liz Forbes and Lily, who were not dancing. The heretics had been hesitant at first, but once the music started to blare, they, too, joined in with the dancing. 

“Liv’s almost here,” said Liz, checking her watch. “She’s supposed to bring the cake.”

“According to the boys, their party for Alaric started already,” said Lily, squinting at her phone. “I’m sorry, what does this mean—?” She held up her screen to show Damon had texted her, ‘BRB, Enzo’s gonna ruin the jelly shots.’

“He’s saying he’ll be right back to text you,” said Vivianna. “Apparently Enzo is doing something that might mess up their jello shots, which are basically like shots of liquor, except they're small portions of gelatin infused with alcohol.”

Lily blinked. “Oh, well, that doesn’t sound enjoyable.”

Liz tried to stifle a laugh, looking up at the girls, who were still dancing with Jo and the stripper, who was now giving her a lap dance.

“How much do you want to bet that Damon hired hundreds of female strippers for Alaric?” said Liz, tilting her head.

“He definitely did,” said Vivianna. “But none of the boys will snitch on him. So we’ll have to wait to find out.” She smiled, seeing Kai had sent her a picture of the drinks table at the Salvatore House. The entire kitchen counter was filled with bottles of all types.

“Cake’s here!” said Liv loudly over the music. “And these random women insisted they’ve been invited—?”

Behind her were two women, who Caroline went to greet immediately. “These lovely ladies are going to give you a manicure and pedicure once you finish eating, Jo,” said Caroline happily, escorting the women to the large center table. “Get your menus and figure out what you want to eat.”

They gathered around the table, all granted their heart’s desire when it came to burgers, fries, onion rings, and milkshakes. Vivianna and Jo, of course, had eaten the most out of everyone.

“An entire diner to ourselves,” sighed Jo happily, looking around at everyone enjoying their meal. “Actual heaven.”

“Aren’t you vegetarian?” asked Bonnie, seeing Jo taking a giant bite from her burger.

“Bonnie,” giggled Elena, “don’t judge her.”

“I’m just saying, that’s not exactly a Garden burger!”

Jo smirked. “My pregnancy, apparently, demands meat. Besides, it’s my party, and I'll eat what I want to! I’m eating for three, now, so—”

“For three?” said Vivianna in disbelief. “What are you—?”

Jo clapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh no! Oh… it was supposed to be a surprise after the wedding!”

“You’re having twins?” asked Liv, eyes wide.

Jo nodded, and everyone started to clap. “Ah… thank you… looks like Julian’s getting two little cousins.”

“Girls or boys?” asked Mary Louise. “Or one of each?”

“The radiologist couldn’t tell for sure, but we think it’s two girls.”

“Yes!” said Nora, looking at Vivianna. “Sorry, darling, but I had so many ideas for onesies that I couldn’t use on Julian! This means I get to use them!”

Vivianna didn’t mind it at all. “Well, they’re going to be quite the trio.”

As soon as Jo was done eating everything she could, she’d been made to sit in a chair off to the side for her manicure and pedicure while the others cleaned up, then went to join her to keep talking. At one point, they’d split up a bit, and Elena, Liv, Nora, and Mary Louise had stayed with Jo, while Lily, Valerie, Liz, and Caroline went over the final details of the wedding.

“I did a bad thing,” said Bonnie as she sat with Vivianna, who was still munching on some onion rings.

Vivianna raised a brow. “What’d you do?”

“I hooked up with… E-N-Z-O.”

The Traveler smirked. “Oh? Well, that’s sooner than expected.”

“I talked to Elena and Caroline about it and they didn’t think me and Enzo would make a good couple. They thought it was a bad idea, but I thought, hey, there isn’t exactly a risk, so why not be a little reckless?”

“Good for you,” said Vivianna. “None of us really know Enzo, so when thinking about a relationship, it does sound scary, but there’s nothing wrong with a hook up, you know. If you enjoyed it…”

Bonnie turned red. “You know, I always said I’d never do it with a vampire, and now, I want to kick myself.”

Vivianna giggled. “Well, that’s at least a learning experience, if nothing more. Is he going to the wedding?”

“From what I heard, yes. Even Malcolm and Oscar are coming, so I guess he figured he was perfectly welcome.”

“Are you gonna sit with him?”

“Hahah… Caroline would fry me alive. She wants me monitoring the caterers and the bar just to make sure no one gets too drunk before the ceremony.”

“Meanwhile, I’m on present duty. Should be easy enough… stacking boxes, making it look pretty, gesturing to the little bin for the letters.”

“At least you get to sit down. I have to be walking everywhere.”

“What’s Elena gonna do?”

“Well, since Elena and Liv are maids, they’re gonna be with Jo. And Damon and Luke are gonna be with Ric. Caroline’s gonna be doing final checks on everything, and ushering people to their seats.”

“Do we have like, a designated seating area? You know, so maybe Enzo can join us subtly.”

Bonnie smirked. “Well, Caroline did say we could sit either in the very front or the very back to keep an eye on things. I vote for back.”

“Great, I’ll sit in the back with you. You and Enzo can sit together and I can pretend you guys are just my moral support for in case I need to step out. If I feel queasy, I definitely don’t want to barf in front of everyone. That’ll be embarrassing.”

The Bennett witch beamed appreciatively. “Thank you, Vivianna. I’ll be sure to find the softest seat for you to sit in.”

The night had been fun, but Vivianna had grown tired earlier than the others. Kai had come to pick her up, and after giving his sister a card with some money as an early wedding present, he’d taken Vivi’s hand and led her to Elena.

“Hey,” said Vivianna gently, holding out the small package containing the cure. “We just wanted to say happy birthday, and thanks for everything.”

Elena seemed to already know what was in the box before she opened it. She started to tear up when she confirmed that the cure was in there.

“You guys,” she said softly. “You didn’t have to…”

“We wanted to,” said Kai. “Just make sure you take it when you’re absolutely ready. You just turned twenty-one. It’s your prerogative to decide if you want to get absolutely wasted as a human, or as a vampire.”

Elena pulled them both into a hug. “Thank you. Really, thank you.”

“That felt so nice,” said Kai once the Salvatore House was quiet that night. “Doing something, getting nothing back, just seeing them looking so happy. I like that.”

“I like you,” said Vivianna, leaning over to kiss him. “Now, let’s go over what you’re doing tomorrow, so you don’t forget.”

Kai smirked, holding up his fingers to count. “Wake up early, eat, get my stuff ready, shower, put on regular clothes, go to Ric’s, help him alongside Damon, Luke, Matt, and Tyler to get ready for the wedding, then drive to the venue and meet Stefan there to set up the chairs before Caroline goes with Bonnie to decorate. An hour before the ceremony, I get in my suit, make sure everyone else is dressed, then wait by the aisle to walk Jo down when it’s time.”

“Look at you,” she teased. “So smart. Meanwhile, I get to have a lazy morning. Wake up around noon, shower, get ready, and help Jo do her hair before we drive to the venue.”

“Did you like the dress I picked for you to wear?”

“I love it. Matches your eyes, and it’s not too tight over my bump. I hope Julian has your eyes.”

“Really? I feel like he should have your eyes.”

“Mine are just brown.”

“But they’re still absolutely beautiful, you know. Just like the rest of you.” He kissed her forehead. “Let’s try to sleep now, alright? Big day tomorrow.”

Kai was gone by the time she woke up. She sighed, stretching her limbs before proceeding with her tasks for the day. Once her hair and makeup was done, she went to the living room, finding Jo’s makeup was being done by Elena.

“Ooh, you look cute,” said Vivianna, going to help Liv with the garment steamer to make sure the dress had no wrinkles. She lifted the skirt, making sure Jo’s shoes were there, before nodding, and going to stand behind Jo’s chair, and beginning to curl her hair. 

“So, what’s the verdict?” asked Jo, looking at Elena. “Are you and Damon taking the cure?”

“Mhm,” said Elena with a smile. “Not today, obviously, we’re gonna have way too much to drink and human tolerance isn’t gonna cut it. But I do think maybe tomorrow or the day after? I’ll take it and he’ll drink it from me immediately after.”

“How exciting,” said Vivianna. “I’m happy for you guys.”

“Thank you, again. It seems your heads-up earlier helped Damon kinda settle everything with Stefan. Stefan decided that maybe… if you and Kai don’t end up using the cure… he’ll take it with Caroline.”

“You’re kidding,” said Vivianna in shock. “They’d be willing to do that?”

“Caroline is happier as a vampire, but she’s happiest with Stefan, and she thinks that after all the things she’s been through, she can be happy as a human again. She realized that even if her mom does survive this cancer for a few more years, she doesn’t want to spend an eternity after her natural death just being without her.”

“Hopefully, with a bit more work, Kai can get the tumor shrunk down as much as possible,” said Vivianna. “Eventually, we’ll have to tell Caroline the truth about that, you know. I just don’t know how to go about it.”

“I can handle that, when the time comes,” said Elena. “I’ll figure something out. It seems like we’re all gonna get our happy endings after all. You two are gonna have your kids… then eventually, Damon and I will have a kid, then Stefan and Caroline… and who knows, maybe Nora and Mary Louise will adopt one. Bonnie and Enzo…”

“What about Bonnie and Enzo?” said Vivianna innocently.

“I may have eavesdropped a bit last night. She sounds genuinely happy. I guess I didn’t think that maybe, just letting loose was what she needed. I should have encouraged her to be free and do what she wanted instead of judging her for wanting to be with that guy. I don’t really like him, but then again, no one really liked Damon and I still went for him.”

“Just make sure she knows that,” Jo pointed out. “She needs to know you’re supportive, even if she’s not with her brother.”

“Ooh, Jeremy doesn’t deserve her. I love my little brother, but he wasn’t a good boyfriend to her, at all. I had to talk to him about it so many times and he was honestly not getting the memo.”

“That’s one thing I gotta get good at,” said Vivianna. “Once Julian starts to date, I need to know how to talk to him about that. Moms just kinda know when someone is bad for you. I swear, they’re psychic.”

“I need to prepare for that, too,” said Jo, patting her belly. “I have two little girls to worry about, and something tells me they’re gonna be very good with people their age.”

As soon as Jo’s hair and makeup was done, they got into the car, and drove to a field near Whitmore, where a barn had been converted into a surprisingly nice wedding venue. They snuck Jo in through the back entrance, and Elena and Liv took charge of getting her into her dress while Vivianna went to sit at the presents table.

It was honestly boring, just waiting there. She tried to greet everyone with a smile, her hands wrapped over her belly. She had to stand up only a few times to organize the gifts. Otherwise, she’d just been staring around, seeing the guests drinking and chattering away. 

“I’ll get the presents loaded into the truck after the ceremony,” said Bonnie, coming over to Vivianna once everyone started to be ushered inside. “Let’s take our seats.”

“Alright,” said the Traveler, smiling and letting Bonnie pull her through the crowd. That was probably a bad idea, even if they wanted to make sure they got the seats they wanted. Vivianna had cringed at the feeling of random people colliding with her. Not to mention all the excited ‘ooh, how far along are you?’ questions that they burst out as she passed by them.

“It’s cold in here,” said Vivianna, rubbing her arms. “Why did they put the air conditioner up so high?”

“Might be because of Jo,” said Bonnie. “The other day she was complaining that she was feeling really hot.”

“So they turned this place into an iceberg? Great. I should have brought a sweater…” she turned around, looking over the faces as they made their way in, and humming to herself. She pretended she hadn’t noticed Enzo slipping into their row to sit beside Bonnie, and had simply focused on Kai, who was waiting nearby to escort Jo. Their eyes met, and Vivianna smiled, waving at him. He noticed that she was shivering, and darted forward, taking off his suit jacket.

“Woah, woah, woah!” she said before he could drape it over her shoulders. “Caroline is gonna kill you if you don’t have your suit on properly!”

“Hey, you're cold, I’m not gonna leave you that way,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “If you warm up before we go down the aisle, just let me know, and I’ll take it back.”

She blushed when he kissed her cheek this time, then darted away.

Unfortunately for Caroline and her preferences, Vivianna was still cold when the music started to play, which meant she didn’t give Kai his jacket back. The procession started, and Damon walked out first with Liv, before Luke followed along with Elena. Last was Tyler, who was the last-minute ring bearer. Vivianna cast Kai a sheepish smile as he walked his sister down the aisle, looking proudly ahead at Alaric, who had tears in his eyes.

“Welcome, family and friends,” said the Reverend once the bride and groom were at the altar, “on this magical evening to the wedding of Alaric Saltzman and Josette Laughlin. Josette and Alaric have prepared their own vows.”

Alaric cleared his throat, and started to speak. “Neither one of us should be here right now. We've spent our life dodging fate and beating the odds. But, because we did, I got to meet you, the most beautiful, hilarious and intimidatingly brilliant woman I have ever known. You inspire me, you've shown me that happiness is actually something that I can have in my life. And so…” He took a ring from the pillow Tyler was holding, “I promise to be with you, and love you, and to dodge fate with you…” he slid the ring onto Jo’s finger, “for the rest of our lives.”

Jo started to cry, and the Reverend beckoned for her to speak. “Josette?”

“Oh, god,” said Jo, wiping away her tears. “That’s a tough act to follow. Here it goes. Alaric Saltzman, you are someone I never thought I’d meet. I thought that someone who was strong, perseverant, ridiculously attractive, and just as nerdy as me only existed in my dreams. And then, one day, I met this new history Professor who claimed to be a germaphobe. Just like that, everything changed. I started to see more in my future than I thought possible. I used to think I’d be one of those doctors who’s married only to their job. I figured I’d be alone, eating Thai food on Friday nights for the rest of my life. Instead, I get to be married to someone who will… dodge fate with me forever. And you have no idea how grateful I am for it. So…” she took the other ring, “I promise to be with you and love you, through sickness and in health,” she slid the ring onto his finger, “for the rest of our lives, til death do us part.”

The attendees started to clap. Vivianna tried to join in, but could only continue to shiver, holding the jacket tightly around her body.

“It’s too cold in here,” she whispered to Bonnie as the Reverend continued. She looked ahead, seeing Kai was very focused on the ceremony. “I’ll be outside, I need to warm up a bit.”

“Need me to go with you?” asked Bonnie.

“Only if you’re willing to miss the ceremony.”

Bonnie didn’t really mind. “Come on, let’s go.” She got up with Vivianna, and the two slipped out, with Enzo following behind.

“You alright there?” he asked Vivianna, seeing she was still trembling even when Bonnie rubbed her arms.

“I feel so cold,” she said, swaying a bit. “I don’t know why…”

Enzo looked down at her stomach, and frowned. “Baby’s heartbeat is… slower than normal. Perhaps we should—” he suddenly stopped, and a loud snapping sound rang before he crumpled to the floor.

Bonnie leapt in front of Vivianna as five witches appeared in front of them. In the lead, Joshua Parker. Behind him, one face Vivianna recognized— Alhena. 

“Move aside, or we’ll kill you, too,” said Joshua to Bonnie.

“If you want to get to her, you’ll have to go through me,” said Bonnie fiercely.

“We already got to her, sweetie,” said Alhena with a wicked smile. “She’ll get colder and colder until suddenly, her temperature will spike, and she and the baby will boil alive.”

“Please don’t do this,” Vivianna whimpered, holding onto Bonnie, feeling her legs about to give out. “Please don’t hurt my baby…”

“Oh, my dear,” said Joshua with fake sadness. “That baby has been doomed since it was conceived. We’re just here to finish the job.”

Chapter Text

Bonnie wasn’t sure she could take them all at once.

Vivianna was already about to collapse. Bonnie could feel her hand growing colder as she held onto her shoulder, and she knew that if she didn’t prioritize getting Vivianna out of there, then there wouldn’t be a chance to save her.

No one had stepped out of the barn. If Bonnie had to guess, the witches had cast a spell to keep them from hearing what was happening outside. By the time the wedding was over and people started to flood out, they expected Vivianna to already be dead.

Which meant Bonnie was probably her only hope. No pressure whatsoever.

“Hey,” said the witch, putting her hand on Vivianna’s, as though she wasn’t going to retaliate against the witches. “Just relax. Keep breathing.” 

“Or you could simply let go,” said Alhena. “It will make it much more painless. Think of it as going to sleep. You and your child will drift off. Won’t even feel the moment you begin to burn.”

They were stalling. As if they needed the spell to settle in further before they could exhale and leave. They were staying to make sure it went off without a hitch. All Bonnie really needed to do was get someone else’s attention. All six heretics were inside the barn. They could easily take down these five sadistic witches. 

But how to contact them?

They couldn’t wait for Enzo to wake up and go get help. Bonnie couldn’t hold a single finger up, or they’d know she was up to something, and they’d just as easily snap her neck.

She tried to think, as she held onto Vivianna, trying to keep her upright. Bonnie could feel the woman’s magic fading beneath her fingertips. Vivianna was getting weaker, and so was Julian.

Bonnie decided to test her theory first. She cried out, “Someone, help! Please!”

As expected, the witches only laughed. “They can’t hear you,” said Joshua. “We don’t want to hurt you, Miss Bennett. Your family members have been allies to us for centuries. There really is no need to make this harder for yourself.”

Bonnie tried to be subtle, holding Vivianna’s hand and saying a spell in her head that would start to warm her. But as soon as she tried, there was a zapping noise, and Vivianna gave a yelp, before sinking down, and holding her side.

“That won’t work,” said Joshua. “You alone are no match for five witches. You can’t override the spell on her.”

You alone are no match for five witches.

Bonnie knew what she had to do. And she knew that it was a tremendous risk. But unless she had more power, there wasn’t going to be a way to break the Silencing Spell’s barrier. All they needed was backup. 

“It’s a good thing I’m not alone, then,” said Bonnie, swiping her hand up just as the other grabbed onto Vivianna’s arm, latching on to channel both her and the baby at the same time.

Vivianna let out a screech of pain as Bonnie used her and Julian’s magic to break the barrier. Immediately, Bonnie knew it had worked, because not even a full second later, the six heretics were standing in front of her.

“No,” said Joshua, his face going slack. “How did you—?”

The heretics weren’t going to be answering any questions. Malcolm, Oscar, Beau, and Mary Louise descended upon the witches, siphoning and feeding remorselessly, causing blood to be splattered all over the ground. Valerie and Nora rushed to Vivianna’s side, while Bonnie sprinted to the barn.

“KAI!” she screamed, seeing the majority of the guests had already realized something was wrong outside. “KAI!”

He came running. “What the hell is happening?”

“It’s Vivianna,” said Bonnie, yanking his arm and dragging him outside. “Where is—?”

“Valerie rushed her to the hospital,” said Nora, speeding up to them. “We couldn’t siphon the spell. She needs them to help her there. Where is Jo? She’s her doctor, we ought to take—”

“I’m here,” said the bride, running toward them and holding the skirt of her dress. “What happened?”

“They said the spell is going to make her get really, really cold before her temperature spikes. They’re trying to kill her and the baby again.” Bonnie looked over to where four dead witch bodies lay on the floor. Alhena and the other deserters were dead. Joshua Parker had been left alive, but only just.

Kai stormed over to him as Nora sped away with Jo and Bonnie. Unable to control himself, he kicked him right in the face, slamming him completely onto the ground.

“You bastard,” Kai sneered, yanking him up by the collar of his shirt. “Tell me how to undo the spell!”

“There is no way to undo it,” said Joshua weakly, coughing up blood. “We made sure it settled. That hybrid brat will be dead by morning.”

“That’s your fucking grandson,” said Kai venomously. “Are you that scared of the power it might have? Maybe because you know that no one will respect you and your outdated opinions once someone younger and more open-minded comes along to show them that following the lead of a power-hungry sadist is wrong?”

Joshua just glared at him. “First a tribrid, now this? Are we witches expected to accept creatures who disrupt the balance of nature and threaten our existence?”

“The only people whose existence is threatened are those who know deep down that their ideals are biased and are only good to exclude those different from them. You want the witches to be ‘pure’ but what is purity, anymore? The Travelers killed to survive. The siphoners killed because they were cursed to. But what about the rest of you? Who killed for fun? To weed out anyone you deemed ‘dirty.’ Sacrificing innocent children all because they just might be better than you. Two thousand fucking years ago you decided the Travelers were trash. Then you decided anyone who was a siphoner was trash. You just don’t like the idea of change. Well, too bad, dad. Because everything’s about to change and you’re not gonna get to see it.”

He grabbed onto his face, starting to siphon. Joshua let out a weak groan, unable to fight back as Kai drained him of every last bit of his magic, until he was nothing but a corpse.

Beau came up to him, offering his arm. Kai couldn’t afford to break down in that moment, now able to be plagued with guilt. He grabbed onto Beau, and the heretic whisked him away.

They burst through the doors of the hospital, finding that Vivianna had been taken into one of the open operating rooms.

“Let me in!” demanded Kai, slamming his hands on the door, able to see Jo and a few other doctors were surrounding her, while Valerie, Bonnie, and Nora stood off to the side. “LET ME IN!”

The other doctors weren’t about to allow it, but Beau didn’t care what they thought. He swiped his hand out, breaking the lock and causing the door to fly open. Kai ran in, seeing they were pumping their hands on Vivianna’s chest and preparing a surgical tray.

“What are you doing?” he asked fearfully. “Why aren’t you warming her up?”

“Kai,” said Jo calmly, handing her tools to another doctor and turning to look at him. “Breathe. Listen to me. I’m about to tell you something you’re not going to like.”

Kai went rigid as she continued, “We haven’t been able to warm either of them. Her temperature is continuing to drop, and if we keep trying to get her warm, it’s going to be a lot worse when her temperature spikes. We don’t know when that’s gonna happen, so our best chance is to get that baby out right now.”

“No!” yelled Kai. “This is barely the start of the thirty-seventh week, it’s too soon! I can try to siphon the spell, let me—”

“The siphoning isn’t working,” said Nora worriedly. “We think it’s because they’re still united in one body. If we siphon any more, they’re going to lose the magic that’s only just keeping them alive.”

“This is my fault,” said Bonnie softly. “I channeled them to break the Silencing Spell and it depleted their magic. Siphoning will kill them. But if we separate them… if Julian is born right now… you can siphon off of Julian, and maybe Valerie can siphon off of Vivianna, and then there’s a chance that—”

“Why are you saying it like that?” said Kai frantically. “Why are you making it seem like… like one of them isn’t gonna make it?”

“Remember that decision I said you’d need to make?” said Jo, trying to keep from tearing up. “You have to make it right now. Because I don’t think we can save them both.”

“There has to be something else you can do!” he said in disbelief. “Can’t we just break the spell—?”

“The spell was placed by five witches, Kai! And even with their death, it didn’t stop. We can’t break it.”

“Save Vivi. Whatever you have to do, but save her.”

“Kai, is that what she wanted? I can only do it if you promise me that she agreed to that.”

“I… she… she’s gonna have to understand…”

“Do you understand what’s going to happen to her if she wakes up and Julian is dead? Do you? If she wanted something different, you need to be honest right now—”

“I don’t know, okay?” spat Kai. “I don’t know what decision to make! Because we didn’t come to an agreement! She wants the baby to be saved, but I want her to be saved! Just…” he started to cry, and brought his hand up to cover his mouth.

“Doctor, we’re ready to start the C-Section,” one of the nurses said.

“Decision, now,” said Jo. “I’m sorry, but the longer we wait, the more risk there is that neither of them make it off this table alive.”

Kai ran his hand through his hair, starting to hyperventilate. “What are the chances?” he asked. “If… if you let Vivi go… what are the chances the baby survives?”

“I’m confident that it’s near one hundred percent. Julian’s body is already more capable of handling more magic. As soon as we get him out, the spell can be siphoned off, and we’ll warm him immediately, and he should be just fine. His body has always been more resistant than hers. I’m going to be honest, if we were to choose to save Vivianna, chances are that it won’t even work. The probability of success is incredibly low in her condition. She’s going to bleed out when we remove Julian either way. Because we can’t let them be linked.”

“Your blood,” he told Valerie immediately. “Feed her your blood, then focus on Julian. She’ll die, but she’ll come back a vampire.”

“Kai, no!” said Nora. “No, no— she told us she didn’t want that!”

“I don’t care, okay?” snapped Kai. “Just feed her the damn blood!”

“Vivianna didn’t wish to be turned! You promised—”

“Screw whatever I promised! I can’t lose her! This is why we have the damn cure on standby! She’s gonna have to forgive me for this.”

Jo snapped her hands at the other medical professionals, motioning for them to start the C-section. “We can’t wait any longer. Baby’s coming out right now.”

“Give her the damn blood!” yelled Kai, looking between Valerie, and Nora, then turning around to face Beau. All three heretics shook their heads.

“Kai, don’t force us to do this,” said Valerie quietly. “She’ll never be able to be a vampire again if you use the cure on her.”

“Well maybe I won’t have to use the cure! Maybe she’ll like vampirism!”

“A life without magic?” exclaimed Nora. “How could any witch ever want that? Turning is an easy decision for you, Kai! Because you get to keep your magic! But she won’t! She’ll have to face hunger. She will feel detached from her own child because her body will be dead, and Julian’s will be alive. She won’t be able to comfort him in the same way. I was reading so many books that discuss postpartum depression— do you have any clue how magnified that would be in her? She could turn off her humanity, she could end her own life, all to be free of it, and then you’ll have lost her anyway. Don’t do this to—”

“Wait!” said Bonnie. “I think— I think I may have an idea. Kai… the Connective Magic spell. If you and Vivianna are linked, and you turn, then—”

“Then I’ll come back to life as a heretic,” he muttered. “And because she’s linked to me… she’ll come back, too. As a mortal.”

“There’s no guarantee that’ll work,” said Jo. “The link could break with your death and then—”

“Not if I use the spell she used on me,” said Kai. “It isn’t a normal Linking Spell. Our power is amplified while we channel one another. If I turn, that’s just amplifying the power even more, and it should give her a boost to survive it. But in order to be completely safe—”

“We need to accelerate your turning,” said Valerie. “We’d need to make sure you transition in less than fifteen minutes. I don’t even know if that’s possible. Typically, it takes a dead mortal hours to wake up and be ready to transition.”

“We can do it,” said Nora. “If Bonnie links them, and if Kai takes our blood, and if the three of us do the spell—”

The door opened again, and Damon and Elena burst in with the rest of the heretics. “Take my blood instead,” said Damon. “You heretics have no clue what sireline you’re from— it’s not safe. But I know I’m from Klaus Mikaelson’s line. Which means that puts Kai in a better position for an alliance, if he should ever need one.” He bit into his wrist, and Kai went toward him immediately, drinking as Bonnie went to grab Vivianna’s arm, extending it out so Kai could take hold.

“What was the incantation?” said Bonnie as he held onto Vivianna’s hand firmly, able to feel it growing colder and colder as the doctors kept working.

He tried to remember. “I… I can’t…”

“Okay, let’s do this another way,” said Damon, grabbing onto his head and going into his mind. He searched through the memories until he found it, then made Kai see it all over again.

“Zapojit vztah posílit,” he mumbled to Bonnie. “Mocnost napájení.”

Bonnie looked worried that she’d butcher the pronunciation, but she had to try. “Zapojit vztah posílit. Mocnost napájení. Zapojit vztah posílit. Mocnost napájení…”

Kai started to breathe heavily, tears rolling down his cheeks, hoping that it would work. He brought Vivianna’s hand up to his mouth, kissing the back of it tenderly and squeezing his eyes shut as he listened to Bonnie chant.

He started to feel the tingling in his body again, letting him know the spell was working. He sensed someone coming to stand behind him, and he knew someone was getting ready to snap his neck.

“Do it now,” he heard Jo say. He drew a deep breath before everything went dark.

Damon caught Kai as he collapsed, going to lay him on the side. He could see the other doctors around Jo were looking very panicked and confused, but were continuing on the C-Section since that was what they’d been told to do.

“Got a lot of people to compel after this,” he said, peering up at the operating theater, seeing no one was watching the procedure. Good. 

“We need to do our spell now,” said Valerie, beckoning her fellow heretics forward. “Quickly, now… Phasmatos celeritas transitus suco, phasmatos surgere superesse exsuscito…”

All six heretics started to chant together, and the others looked over them nervously, hoping it would work. Elena rushed out to get a blood bag for Kai to feed on, while Bonnie remained practically glued to Vivianna’s side, brushing her hand over her hair, praying that this was going to work.

“Baby’s out,” said Jo as the doctors started to close Vivianna up. Damon rushed over to the side, watching as they started to clear Julian’s airways. “I need someone to siphon the spell off of him!”

Beau got to his feet, and went over, gently taking the little boy’s head and starting to siphon. There was a tense moment where they weren’t sure it worked, until Jo put on her stethoscope, listened, then nodded, and wrapped him in a blanket as he started to bawl.

“Get him to the NICU immediately,” she told one of the nurses. “Damon, can you—?"

Damon grabbed the woman’s shoulder, looking into her eyes. “This was a normal birth. You’ll treat it as such. You’ll have no memory of what really went on in this room.” The woman just nodded, then took Julian in her arms and rushed out. Damon pointed at the door to indicate to Jo and Beau that he was going to make sure all was well with Julian. 

Beau had gone back to where the others were still chanting over Kai’s body. He gave a sudden gasp, before sitting up, wheezing and swiping his hands up to cover his eyes, shielding the from the brightness of the operating room.

“It’s so bright,” he said, “did—?” His question was cut short by Elena rushing in, and forcing the blood bag against his mouth so that he could complete the transition. He snatched it out of her hands, letting out a growl as he devoured every last bit of its contents.

“Let me get to compelling the doctors,” said Elena, catching them before they could walk out the door. 

“Jo,” gasped Kai, getting to his feet, and looking over Vivianna. “Why… why isn’t she waking up? She has to wake up?”

“I-I don’t know,” said Jo. “Do you still feel the spell lingering on her?”

Kai let his hands hover over Vivianna’s face. “I don’t feel anything… there isn’t any magic…”

“Perhaps it’s just taking her some time to wake up,” said Valerie in a small voice. “Her body could be taking time to heal…”

Kai wasn’t listening. He bit into his wrist, and let the blood drip onto her mouth. “Come on, Vivi… please wake up… I’m not ready to lose you… shock her, Jo, do something!”

Jo moved him out of the way, charging the paddles before pressing them to her heart. Her body jolted, but didn’t move beyond that.

“Try it again!” Kai yelled. “Come on, damn it!” He slammed his hand down against the end of the table, causing the tray of instruments to fly off into a wall. The lights started to flicker, and he let out a grunt when all they did was stare at him. “Why aren’t you guys doing anything?!”

“Maybe she just needs a bit more time,” said Nora. “Maybe you should go and see your son.”

“Are you kidding me?” said Kai. “How— how am I supposed to go and see him when I don’t even know if his mother is alive or not? How am I supposed to go and try to hold him without knowing whether Vivi is gonna get the chance to do that, or if this… this is the end? No… I shouldn’t be anywhere near him right now. It’s not safe.”

Jo tried to reach out to comfort him. “Kai—”

He grabbed her arm, sneering, the vampiric veins rising onto his face. “This entire room smells like blood, including you. Don’t touch me.” 

She gulped. “Okay. I’ll go check on Julian, then.”

The heretics remained behind with Kai while Jo went to the NICU, still holding up the skirt of her dress, which was now covered in blood. She found Damon looking through the window of a room where they’d put Julian, properly swaddled and resting, alongside the other babies that had been born that day.

“Tell me she woke up,” whispered the vampire.

Jo shook her head. “Not yet. I’m not sure if she even will.” She put her hand on her own stomach. “I can’t even imagine what she felt in those last moments before she went unconscious. Unbelievable cold. All her worst fears came true. She was just starting to feel hope that she’d actually get to hold that little boy, and now…” she stifled a sob. “She’s not dead. If there’s one thing I learned when I saw Grey’s Anatomy… they’re not dead until they’re warm and dead. She’s still cold. There’s a chance she might wake up.”

“Kai doesn’t want to see the kid, does he?” asked Damon quietly. “He told Elena that if something happened to Vivianna, he needed her to take care of Julian. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to be a good dad if he lost her.”

“He’s a vampire now. His emotions are heightened. He feels hunger like nothing he’s ever experienced. He’s all so new to it and he doesn’t want to be anywhere near his son unless he knows he can control it. And if Vivianna never wakes up… he’ll be completely out of control.”

Damon furrowed his brows. “What if that’s what she needs? It’s a long shot, but Travelers are strengthened by their connections with others. Julian is the only other Traveler left in the world. Maybe…”

“It’s worth a try,” said Jo, going into the room and getting Julian.

She tried to rock him gently, so that he’d stay asleep. She and Damon walked back to the operating room, and found Kai was still frantically pumping Vivianna’s chest, as if trying to restart her heart. The heretics were off to the side, looking incredibly worried.

“Look, man,” said Oscar, patting Kai’s shoulder. “I think that’s enough.”

“No it’s not!” snapped Kai. “I have to keep—” he looked up at the door and stepped back. “Why the hell would you bring him here?!”

“Hey, shut up, your kid’s asleep,” hissed Damon as Jo carefully unwrapped a part of Julian’s blanket, allowing skin-on-skin contact between him and Vivianna.

They were silent, waiting. Julian started to cry the instant he felt the coldness of Vivianna’s body up against his. He whimpered, and Kai was just about to move forward to get him off of her when her hand twitched, and she slowly brought it up, patting her son’s head.

“Oh my god,” said Kai, rushing toward her as she opened her eyes. “Vivi…”

She looked like she might faint again just from being awake, but she nodded weakly, starting to rub Julian’s back.

Kai bit into his wrist once more, then pressed it to her lips. She figured out pretty soon what must have happened for him to do this, and she used her other hand to hold onto his, giving herself a chance to drink.

“It’s okay, my baby boy,” she whispered hoarsely, managing to look down at Julian, who was still crying. “Mama’s got you…”

Chapter Text

Julian was probably going to end up spoiled.

Vivianna had been absolutely exhausted, and had needed to sleep not long after she woke up. Immediately, a chorus of people offered to take the baby so that she could rest. The heretics had remained in the hospital, along with Elena and Damon, while Jo had gone back to the wedding, where she’d been praised for saving two lives while wearing a wedding dress.

“Hello there, Julian,” said Nora, putting him into one of the prepared onesies. “Ooh, you’re even smaller than this little outfit, and it was supposed to be the first thing you ever wore!”

“We should take a picture of him on the scale,” suggested Oscar. “Little dude’s first photoshoot.”

“Put a bottle of liquor beside him,” said Malcolm. “For comparison purposes of course.”

“Horrible idea,” said Mary Louise. “Let’s do it. I’ll find a camera. Or just use my phone, I doubt the people here have a normal camera."

“How about we all remember that this is not our baby,” suggested Valerie, translating what Beau was frantically signing to them. “We must be gentle.”

"We are being gentle," said Malcolm, picking Julian up and rubbing his back to help burp him. "Look at this! I've never even held a baby and he seems fine!"

"Oh dear lord Malcolm, put him down."

"I've held a baby," said Nora, holding up a blanket and carefully wrapping it over Julian and Malcolm. "He's doing just fine. Perhaps sit down."

"Please be careful!"

"We have speedy reflexes and magic," mentioned Mary Louise. "Stop worrying, Valerie! Look at that darling little face, we won't let anyone hurt him. Now let's do the photoshoot! I have my phone ready."

Nora started to tuck the blanket in tighter so that Julian would be warm. "Vivianna and Kai will be pleased if we do his photoshoot for him. Isn’t that right? Yes, Auntie Nora is always right, you should learn that from the very beginning. Your mama and papa won't have to deal with the stress of planning this. We'll take you to see them later, along with the pictures."

“Hey, don’t suffocate the kid,” said Damon, snapping his fingers at her once Malcolm was leaning his head back to keep from being smothered by the blanket Nora was still fixing. “There is such a thing as wrapping a blanket too tight.”

Nora made a face and leaned down to look at Julian, who was wide awake and looking around. “Your Uncle Damon doesn’t know anything about wrapping babies, but I do. Don’t worry, you’re not going to be suffocated.”

Beau came over to take a peek, making sure Julian was alright. He reached his hand out, and carefully caressed the little boy's face, making him close his eyes and relax against Malcolm's shoulder.

“Has anyone checked on Kai?” asked Oscar curiously after Mary Louise had taken a series of pictures to practice her angles. “Or should I go do it?”

“I’ll accompany you,” said Valerie, figuring that everyone had it under control by now. “I’m not sure how careful he’ll be these first few days after being turned.”

They found him in an on-call room with a male nurse who he’d apparently fed on. He’d seemingly compelled the man to drain his blood into a cup, which Kai must have been drinking from earlier, while the nurse dressed his own wound and changed the top shirt of his scrub set.

“I see you’ve managed compulsion without a problem,” said Valerie, leaning in the doorway with Oscar so no one could see into the room. “Perhaps it’s time to pay a visit to Vivianna?”

“No,” said Kai. “I’m still hungry. I can’t be hungry at all when I get close to her again. Even just being near her and Julian earlier, I wanted to feed on them. Can’t go close until I’m full. Who’s with her?”

“Elena,” said Oscar. “Hey, quick question, is it okay if we do like, a newborn photoshoot with baby heretic?”

Kai tilted his head to look at him. “Sure. Go for it. Just… be gentle.”

“Great,” said Oscar, holding his thumbs up to try and be more enthusiastic. Kai's face remained plastered with a serious expression. 

“Kai,” said Valerie, tapping her fingers on the doorframe. “We ought to discuss this. Vivianna needs you there at her side. She just died and came back to life. She was shaken… chances are she saw something, and she likely wishes to see you.”

“Elena can talk to her about it. Elena’s died, too. She’s in good hands.”

“Is there another reason why you don’t wish to be near her?”

Kai scoffed. “No other reason. Why would you say that?”

“Because you’re not even drinking from that cup of blood. You’re not hungry anymore. You’re already full.”

Kai bit his lip. “It doesn’t matter.” He looked at the male nurse once he was ready to go. “Hey, forget about this and just go about the rest of your day. Awesome.”

The man walked out, and Oscar and Valerie let him pass before fully entering the room and closing the door.

“You’re afraid to face her,” said Valerie. “That’s it, isn’t it?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” said Kai sarcastically. “How the hell am I supposed to get close when all I can think about is her heartbeat, and all I can smell is the blood? How am I supposed to face her when I almost had her be turned and saved when she explicitly said she didn’t want either of those things? How am I supposed to admit to her that I killed my dad? Huh? I’m supposed to be setting a good example for my kid and instead, I break promises, I commit murder, and I want more than anything to tear out their damn throats!”

Kai slammed his foot against the ground as he sat up. “And everything is so loud and annoying and I just want to break every object in this fucking room!”

“That’s the heightened emotions, my guy,” said Oscar, holding up his hands and making a motion for Kai to calm down. “It’s really overwhelming at first. You’ve never felt so much at once. But it’ll go away in a bit. Your anger and your worry is magnified right now, but I swear, as soon as you start thinking more about the people you love, it's gonna replaced by this amazing amount of happiness. I mean, look at you! You have complete control over your magic now, you've got a beautiful baby boy who's completely healthy, and Vivianna's still alive. You should be celebrating. Get yourself a daylight ring and have a party. Better yet, I'll get you a daylight ring as a present for becoming a dad.” He pointed at the door before walking out.

Valerie was left alone to speak with Kai.

“You have to come clean to her,” she said. “It’s alright, Kai. She didn’t end up being turned. She’s still mortal. You were going to break your promise but we kept you from it. You were desperate, and you didn’t know what else to do. It's not your fault.”

“I almost ruined her life!” cried Kai. “I would have ruined everything! She’s just better off without me. Both of them are.”

“Don’t say that,” said Valerie. “You’re Julian’s father. He needs you."

"No he doesn't. He'd have a higher chance of being good if I'm not in his life."

"Don't say that," Valerie repeated, a bit more harshly. "Do you have even the faintest idea of how lucky you and Vivianna are? It's like Oscar said— you have a beautiful and healthy baby boy. You don't know how many times that experience has been denied to people in the past. Even in the future, people will lose their children. But you got this. The mother of your child, the love of your life, she's still alive and she's been there with you. She carried this child in her womb and you— you can't just abandon her! You got an opportunity many of us never made it to. Don't throw it away."

Kai relaxed a bit as Valerie kept talking. "Vivianna told me so many times how grateful she was that she had you. Even if you couldn’t always be together because you were working. You did so much just to be prepared for the baby’s arrival. You set out to cure cancer just to have a backup plan in case your little boy ever got sick. She wants you in her life. She wants you to raise this baby with her. She loves you, Kai. Don’t give up on that.”

He spoke more softly this time, “Her life wouldn’t have been in danger if it wasn’t for my dad. If I’d just been better… she wouldn’t have gotten hurt. She almost died several times all because she was loyal to me. What if I hurt her again? What if I hurt him? I can’t trust myself...”

“Kai, you aren’t a Ripper. You have more control than you attribute to yourself. I trust that you'll be just fine."

Kai gulped. “What if she doesn’t want to see me? If she hates me… I’d rather not know. I’ll feel more sad than ever before if she decides she doesn’t want me anymore.”

“How about we go and find out together?”

He had no choice but to follow Valerie to Vivianna’s room, where she lay on her side, cradling her stomach. Elena looked up as they arrived, tapping her ear then pointing at Vivianna, to indicate that she was awake, and would hear anything that they had to say.

“Vivi?” said Kai quietly, coming closer to the bed.

She turned to lay on her back. “I thought you left,” she murmured. “I thought you didn’t want this anymore.”

Valerie and Elena quickly left the room, giving them some privacy.

“I admit, I considered it,” said Kai, sitting at the edge of the bed. “I figured you and Julian might be better off without me. I love you. And I want to be with you more than anything. But not if I'm just putting you at risk.”

“Please don’t think that,” she said, weakly reaching to take his arm. “We need you. You’ll learn to control it all. Just please don’t go… please stay with me… everyone always leaves. I need you to stay.”

“Okay, Vivi,” he said, squeezing her hand. “I won’t go anywhere. I just need to talk to you about what happened in that operating room when you were unconscious. I was gonna break my promise. I wanted the heretics to turn you, because you were gonna die, and I wasn’t ready to lose you. Bonnie found another way. We got lucky. Because you were dead and then you weren’t waking up and I thought you were gone.”

She looked sad to hear him saying this, but she definitely didn’t look surprised. “I figured that might happen. I knew that if it came down to it, you wouldn’t have wanted to let me die. If our roles were reversed, I probably would have done the same thing, just to keep you here a little while longer. I’m not ready to live without you. I don’t want to.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, starting to cry. “I fucked up. I broke my promise, I killed my dad, I turned and now I’m a danger to you.”

“You saved us, Kai. You kept your father from being able to hurt us again. And you’re not a danger. I trust you. You just need to get used to it."

"I need to ask... did you see anything? When you died?"

She bit her lip. "It was hard to make out, at first. Like... blurry. But then, I was in Los Angeles. Back in the apartment we visited. I was in the hallway, and at the end was a door with light shining out from under it. I figured out pretty quickly that I was probably dead. And since I thought I wouldn't be coming back, I walked toward the door. I tried to open it."

"That's why you weren't waking up," mumbled Kai. "You let go. You didn't want to come back."

"I couldn't hear anything that was happening out here. So I didn't know that Julian made it though. I didn't know you guys had a plan to bring me back. So yeah... I was gonna let go. But then the door wouldn't open, and I wasn't sure why. I was rattling the doorknob. I could hear voices... my mom, my dad, my brother, Maria. Peace was calling out to me. And I couldn't get there. I was starting to get frustrated, until I felt something. A heartbeat. A warmth. Right on my chest, right where Jo laid Julian. I stepped away from the door, and walked back down the hallway, and next thing, I was opening my eyes."

Kai kissed the back of her hand. "I'm glad you didn't go. I don't know what I would do without you. I need you. I'm gonna stay and I'm gonna love the both of you forever. But you have to promise to stay with us."

"I promise if you do," she said. "And you can't break this promise, okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I swear, I won't break this one." He looked down at her hand, able to feel the pulsating of her blood vessels beneath her skin. For a moment, all he could hear was her heartbeat, and he felt the urge to feed. He wanted just a small taste. He wanted to know what type of blood was his favorite, and even from here, hers smelled like heaven. 

"If you want to feed on me, it’s okay," Vivianna said. "I want to help you learn to control it and to use your powers to their full extent. Here…” she put her wrist over his mouth. “Feed.”

“You still need time to get stronger,” he said, trying to turn away. “It’s not a good idea…”

“Feed.”

Her heartbeat was ringing in his ears, and he could feel her blood vessels pulsating beneath her skin as it came in contact with his lips. He carefully took her hand and bit in, eliciting a slight groan of pain before she relaxed, watching him drinking her blood.

“Okay,” she said after a short while. “Feeling lightheaded now.”

He unclamped his teeth immediately and quickly bit into his own wrist to give her blood. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she promised. “See? You have control. I won’t let you lose it."

"But it hurt you."

"Only at the beginning. Then it felt nice."

"It did?"

"You've known for awhile now that I find mild pain pleasurable. Kinda how we made Julian in the first place. 'Cause it hurt like hell being on that table, FYI. Now… I’d really like to see our baby. If you’re willing to stay."

Kai was nervous at the prospect of being in the same room as Julian again, but he nodded, because it was what she wanted. He brought out his phone to text Nora, and about two minutes later, the heretics, Damon, and Elena entered the room, holding Julian.

“Hi there,” said Vivianna, smiling and taking her son into her arms. “Ooh, you’re not crying anymore. And you smell so clean.” She smoothed her hand over his face. “Let’s have your daddy hold you for a bit.”

Kai awkwardly held out his hands, and settled into the bed properly with Vivianna before she placed Julian in his arms. “Support his head,” she said, and he did as instructed, grinning when Julian remained asleep. 

“He didn’t wake up,” he said proudly. “I’m holding him right.”

“Well, he had quite a bit to drink,” said Nora. “Finished almost half a bottle. He’s a hungry lad.”

“Good thing we’re good at cooking,” said Vivianna, leaning on Kai’s shoulder and beaming at Julian, who gurgled a bit in his sleep. “Oh… I feel so awful that Jo’s wedding was ruined.”

“It wasn’t ruined, trust me,” said Damon. “As soon as she made sure you and Julian were okay, she went back, and it seems she’s having a good time. Party still hasn’t ended.”

“You guys should go back there,” said Vivianna. “We’re okay here. I’ll probably be better tomorrow and we can get home on our own.”

The heretics all looked at each other. “Well, not to be mean to Jo,” said Oscar, “but baby heretic is a little more exciting to us.”

“He’s not a heretic yet,” mentioned Kai. “But he’ll probably want to be one.” He put his finger in Julian’s hand, then held it up slightly to show it was glowing. “He already knows how to siphon.”

“I expect so,” said Mary Louise. “We just spent two hours taking pictures with it and talking all about how we’re kin. We told him how to siphon, since he'd already done that once before.”

She brought over her phone to show the pictures. Nora and Mary Louise holding Julian between them. Malcolm holding Julian with one arm, and a bottle of tequila in the other, while Damon stood behind him with a bottle of bourbon cradled as if it was a baby. Oscar, holding a sailor’s hat made of gauze over Julian’s head while he slept. Valerie and Beau’s hands in the background, apparently responsible for the tiny cloud that Julian temporarily rested on.

“Let’s take a picture of you three,” suggested Oscar as he darted forward to put a daylight ring in Kai's hand, which made Mary Louise quickly turn on the camera, and hold the phone back.

“Say… something,” said Mary Louise as she took the picture.

Julian obviously couldn’t talk, but Vivianna and Kai simply said ‘cheese.’ 

When the heretics had gone home, Vivianna and Kai remained in the hospital room, still unable to believe that they were already holding the baby that not long ago had still been safe and cozy inside his mother.

“You are so loved,” whispered Vivianna, holding him to her chest after she’d finished feeding him again. “You won’t remember this, but you’ll have pictures to let you see how many people were here the day you were born… wanting to hold you. Wanting to show you how wonderful you are.”

Kai pulled the blanket over the both of them, leaning over to kiss Vivianna’s forehead. “He’s perfect,” he mumbled. “Our little dinosaur baby. Who actually looks like a proper human now.”

“His eyes are grey right now,” noticed Vivianna. “So we probably won't know for sure what color they'll be until much later. But your nose. The rest, well, we won’t know until he gets bigger.”

Kai was silent for a moment. “Hey… thank you. For all of this. For… choosing to go through a really hard pregnancy. For fighting every second to keep this baby alive and well. For having been willing to die just so he could live. I can never repay you for this, Vivi. I didn’t think I’d ever be a dad, but you gave me the chance to be one. I love you.”

“Just don’t go anywhere,” she whispered. “And that’ll be everything I need in return. I love you, too. And I love you, tiny boy.”

In the morning, they’d had more visitors. Jo, Alaric, and the Parker twins had come by to see their nephew, bearing a basket of treats for Vivianna.

“Oh, I love you all,” said Vivianna, digging through the snacks they brought her. “Cake pops and chocolate covered pretzels from the wedding? Ooh… and a slice of cake. Thank you. I’m sorry we couldn’t be there.”

“No, don’t worry,” said Jo. “I’m just glad I was able to help.”

Kai looked at her appreciatively. “I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been there for us every step of the way. Seriously, Jo… thank you.”

Jo smiled. “Of course. Now, can I have a turn holding him?”

“You got to hold him when he was born,” said Liv, moving forward before Jo could. “My turn first, then yours, then Luke’s.”

“Do I just not get a turn, then?” asked Alaric. 

“Only after me,” said Luke, looking over Liv’s shoulder once Kai placed Julian in her arms.

In the afternoon, it was time for them to check out. After securing the carseat in their car (which had been brought by Damon), Kai and Vivianna started to drive back to Mystic Falls. They’d still be in the Salvatore House, just until they could get their things packed to move into their on-campus apartment.

That first week had granted Vivianna the most sleep she’d gotten since the pregnancy began. Kai seemed to be able to sense when Julian was about to cry, and he’d rush to get him before he could, giving him whatever he needed to quiet him down so he wouldn’t disturb Vivianna. 

“Shh,” he said, holding him to his bare chest, since he read that skin-on-skin contact was the best even between babies and their fathers. “Let’s not wake your mama up, okay? She hardly slept when you were in her tummy. Give her a chance to rest, alright, little guy?”

Julian obviously didn’t respond verbally, but he moved his hand, as if patting Kai’s arm to let him know he understood.

“That’s right, my little dinosaur,” whispered Kai, kissing the top of his head. “We’re gonna do our best to make sure your mama feels better, okay? ‘Cause we love her and we want her to be happy.”

Word of Julian’s birth had spread faster than they anticipated. The witches of the Gemini Coven who had been present at the wedding couldn’t help but talk about what they’d seen happen that day. Soon, all sorts of witch communities were discussing the miracle baby’s birth. Surprisingly, now that the Gemini Coven had been more or less reformed by the twins, they’d offered their protection to make sure no other Coven could try to hurt Julian.

Before they moved out of the Salvatore House, they received a letter, which had awaited on the doormat patiently for them while they’d been out one day.

Kai raised a brow when he saw the envelope. “Malachai Parker and Vivianna Zima-Ruzicka,” he read off of the envelope. “No return address or anything.”

“Please don’t tell me this is another plan to kill us,” mumbled Vivianna, holding Julian and trying to lull him to sleep.

Kai shrugged and tore open the envelope, and brought out the pages that’d been written for them in elegant handwriting.

“Dear Malachai Parker and Vivianna Zima-Ruzicka,

You do not know me, and you don’t need to, if you wish to remain hidden from the world. I understand that more than you can imagine. However, news of your son’s birth has reached my ears, and I wanted to congratulate you personally. I also wished to ask if we could meet to discuss a potential alliance that may come from our similar situations, parenting a child with powers beyond belief. My number is written below. Let me know what you decide, and I will cover the expenses to bring you all to New Orleans for a vacation.

Klaus Mikaelson.”

A/N: Hi all! So there might only be 1-2 more chapters before the Epilogue, I'm not completely sure, but we'll see! I want to make sure this story has a happy ending, and I'm eager to publish my next story already. I really only have the first chapter done because I want to see how people like it before I continue writing >:) Comment for more!

Chapter Text

They were in New Orleans a week after they received Klaus’s letter.

“Well, at least the apartment is clean for when we get back,” said Kai, trying to get Julian to stop crying once they got off the train. 

“And at least he wasn’t too fussy while we were near people,” said Vivianna, preparing a bottle. “Come on, little one, it’s okay, no more train…”

“He’s definitely not gonna be a fan of Thomas the Tank Engine,” said Kai. He tried to play peekaboo with the little boy, but Julian only kept bawling. “Here, have your bottle…”

“He’s not hungry.”

They looked up to see a man standing in front of them. Dressed in what appeared to be a very expensive coat, with curly dirty-blonde hair and a cold expression. At least, his expression was cold until his lips curled up into a smirk, which Vivianna interpreted as slightly wicked. 

“You’re Klaus,” she said a bit nervously as she took Julian from Kai, bringing a blanket up and trying to get him to calm down. 

“Indeed,” he said. “I have a car waiting. I expect he’ll quiet down once we’re in a less crowded environment. I trust the train was much easier than a plane?”

“Yeah, the train was fine,” said Kai, dragging the suitcases as Klaus led them to a shiny suburban parked on the side of the road. Klaus clicked a button on the keys, and the trunk popped open. With ease, Kai put the bags away, while Klaus opened the door for Vivianna to get into the car.

“Oh, wow,” she said, seeing there was a carseat waiting for them. “Um… thank you.”

“It was my daughter’s, when she was this size,” said Klaus. “Granted, that was a year ago, but children do grow fast.”

Klaus went to sit in the driver’s seat, and once Vivianna buckled herself and Julian in, Kai climbed into the passenger’s seat.

“Thank you for letting us stay at your home,” said Vivianna, glad that Julian had ceased his wailing. “It’s very generous of you.”

“Well, the children can’t quite get to know each other well unless they get to spend more than a few hours with each other. I expect meetings at the very least once a year after this.”

“Sure,” said Kai. “If you don’t mind me asking, what made you ah… decide to reach out? Aside from the congratulations message.”

“Your child is the only other being in the world who can rival my daughter’s power. I would be a fool to have ignored the raging news of another supernatural anomaly’s birth. I’ve known many Travelers and witches in the past. Never did I think that they would merge their bloodlines. But this little lad is proof of that. I prefer that we become acquainted in a peaceful setting.”

They knew what Klaus wasn’t saying. Truth was, Julian was a threat to Hope. He wouldn’t be as powerful as her if she ever became a full tribrid, but his magical abilities alone would prove quite a problem if they were ever forced to fight one another. Klaus knew it was better to have Kai, Vivianna, and their son as allies from the start. Better they be on his side if he needed it. And he feared he’d need it soon. 

“Look at that, Julian,” whispered Vivianna once they were driving into the French Quarter. “So many colors.”

He whined a bit, unable to see everything his mother could. “We’ll take a tour another day, maybe, so you can see everything, okay? Daddy can have you on his chest so you can see the world while he walks.”

“You speak to him as though he’s already an adult,” noticed Klaus. 

“I’ve heard it helps them talk properly, and sooner,” said Vivianna. “Does your daughter already talk?”

“She won’t stop talking. Always going on about her different toys and her aunts. My sister raised her up until she was eight months old, though I expect you heard about that.”

“Yep,” said Kai. “We got attacked… way too many times ‘cause people were so worried about Julian and your daughter teaming up to take over the world or something.”

Klaus let out a hearty laugh. “Witches and their ridiculous ideas… you’d be wise to ignore their rantings, heretic. Stick with those who have the same power as you. They will be your truest allies, as they are most like you. Supernaturals have quite a difficult time accepting those different from them. They wish to have their power instead of letting them live with it. My daughter was going to be sacrificed when she was born.”

“I heard the story,” said Vivianna with a shiver. “It was terrifying.”

Klaus nodded. “I hear yours was nearly as awful.”

“Well, it was hectic, but I don’t know if it’s as awful as having the baby ripped out by force, being turned against my will, and having to save said baby from having a knife driven through its heart. I got lucky so many people had my back and saved me.”

“It’s always a good idea to recall those who were there in times of need. This child will need that. My home has become a fortress to defend my daughter. My brothers and sisters are mighty, though, we are few compared to the multitude that defended you on the day of your son’s birth.”

“Well, to be honest,” said Kai, “I think your family would absolutely decimate us on the battlefield, even if our numbers are bigger.”

Vivianna looked at him as if to say, ‘Did you really have to tell him that? Don’t give him ideas!’

Kai didn’t see her, and Klaus only chuckled. “While I do adore a good brawl, I am hoping we don’t come to that. You see, our children are going to become the most powerful witches in existence. My daughter, specifically, the most powerful creature in the world. They will be mightier than their peers. Likely smarter as well. No one will ever be good enough for them, as friends or partners because they will outshine them. They’re meant to be respected. Worshipped. My sister insists that Hope should be able to make friends her age, from this early age. I think not. Any other child, aside from this one, is far weaker, and unworthy of being in her presence. This boy can be her first friend. One deserving of her presence.”

Vivianna figured Klaus might lower his guard a bit more once Hope was older. She was still so little. His princess. Someone he wanted to protect more than anything. She still didn’t go to school. It was natural for him to think things would go a certain way. Vivianna expected that once he saw his daughter interacting with other kids her age, he’d be more willing to let her be friends with anyone she wanted to spend time with. 

“Here we are,” said Klaus, parking in front of a large three-story building. “Welcome to the Mikaelson Compound.”

“Holy shit,” muttered Kai once they were standing in the entrance, able to see into the building. “This place is like a hotel. Um… how many people live here? Because there seem to be more than a hundred rooms in here.”

“Myself, my daughter, my brother, and one of my sisters, currently,” said Klaus, leading the way in.

“I’m sorry if this is an inappropriate question,” said Vivianna, “but don’t you have more siblings?”

“I do. My other sister is currently traveling, and my other three brothers are dead. There was a time when there were more residents— members of the Crescent Wolf Pack brought in by Hope’s mother. Typically, however, there are very few of us here.”

Vivianna and Kai shared a look. Klaus hadn’t mentioned Hope’s mother as one of the inhabitants. Where was she?

Klaus escorted them to a room on the second floor, which was spacious, and already had a crib set up for them. 

“Take your time to settle in,” said Klaus. “Hope is currently napping. When my brother returns from his errand, I will introduce you to him and my sister, who I must speak to before you meet her.”

He walked off, leaving them alone. Vivianna went to set Julian in the crib, letting him rest a bit more so that she could help Kai put their clothes away.

“He seems nice,” said Kai. “I was honestly expecting him to hold a butter knife to my neck and be all…” he tried to imitate Klaus’s voice, “‘You’re gonna do my bidding, and your kid’s gonna be my daughter’s friend, or else!’”

“He can probably hear you, you know,” said Vivianna, tapping her ear. “Do you think he knows you’re from his sireline?”

“Probably. It’s kinda crazy to meet him, you know, ‘cause most vampires never actually get the chance to know which Original they came from.”

Vivianna lowered her voice. “Where do you think Hope’s mom is? He mentioned her as a former inhabitant. Not a current one. Do you think something happened to her?”

“I don’t know. Guess we’ve got to wait to see what he says.”

Once they’d set out all their things, Kai scooped Julian up, and walked downstairs with Vivianna, where a playmat had been set out, along with some chairs.

“Oh my god,” said Vivianna when she saw Hope crawling around and playing with her toys. “Oh… she’s so cute!”

She went to kneel down beside her, smiling as the little girl looked up at her with big eyes. “Hi there, little one.”

Hope babbled at her, holding up a small wooden knight and placing it in her palm. Vivianna took it, then raised a brow. “I didn’t know you could play chess at the age of one.”

Hope giggled, then made grabby hands, wanting the knight back. Vivianna gave it back to her, then turned as Kai knelt down. “Hope,” he said. “This is Julian.”

The little girl sat up a bit, aided by Klaus, who sat down on the ground to help her switch positions. She reached out, tapping her hand against Julian’s arm, causing him to wiggle a bit, his eyes opening to look at her.

“Baby,” said Hope.

“That’s right,” said Klaus. “That is a baby. One almost as small as you were, when you were born, and I gave you to your aunt Rebekah so that she could keep you safe.” He looked up, then gestured to the doorway. “Freya, do come and join us.”

A slender blonde walked in, with a calculating expression much like Klaus’s as she looked over Kai and Vivianna. “Hello,” she said. “You must be Malachai and Vivianna.”

“Nice to meet you,” said Kai, handing Julian to Vivianna so that he could extend his hand to Freya. The Traveler then did the same thing, smiling slightly.

“I can see she’s well-rested,” noticed Freya, observing that Hope was quite excited, and already trying to decide which toy she’d give to Julian. “Have you spoken to them about—?”

“About what?” asked Vivianna before Klaus could answer.

“We require a favor,” said Klaus. “One that will return Hope’s mother to her.”

Freya gave him a significant look, and Klaus gritted his teeth before saying, “I require a siphoner to undo a spell I had cast on her, because she betrayed me.”

“Um, what’s the spell?” asked Kai.

“Long ago, the Crescent Wolf Pack was cursed, so that their natural state would be wolves. They’d be human only on the full moon. Have you heard of this?”

“I did,” said Vivianna. “I wasn’t aware that curse had ever been broken.”

“Well, it was, by the witch who cast it, just before Hope was born. However, I had the curse reinstated several months ago to punish Hayley for her treachery. My siblings have been rather difficult, insisting I take charge in breaking the curse, as I am the one who had a witch cast it.”

“I have tried to break it, but find myself unsuccessful,” said Freya. “I figured that perhaps, a Traveler’s expertise and a heretic’s ability to siphon could prove instrumental. My magic has recently diminished greatly, and I believe my knowledge may be insufficient.”

“Wait, why did your magic diminish?” asked Vivianna worriedly.

“It’s a rather long story, but my aunt and I were previously linked by a Connective Magic spell, and upon her death, that connection broke. Prior to it breaking, our power was augmented when we channeled one another. Now that I have no one to channel, I must rely on my own inherent power.”

“That sounds a lot like the Connective Magic spell we did, Vivi,” said Kai, tilting his head.

Vivianna furrowed her eyebrows. “That’s because… it is. Wait a second… Freya, as in… Freya and Dahlia?”

The blonde tensed. “How do you know that?”

“Well, every performer of magic knew your names. It was a scary bedtime story for most witches. For the Travelers… you were legends. My ancestors met your aunt. She’s the one that taught them the Connective Magic the Travelers used up until the day they all died, and I remained the only one left. Our spell wasn’t as strong because we couldn’t use Traditional Magic. But yours was insanely powerful. Holy shit. I feel like I’m meeting a celebrity.”

Freya blushed. “Well, I wouldn’t say celebrity… but um… ah, that does ring a small bell. I do recall a group of Travelers doing us a favor once. My aunt required knowledge for one spell, and traded hers for it.”

“Perhaps another magical trade is in order?” said Klaus. “For the sake of the alliance, of course.”

Freya raised her brow at him. “I would have expected you already had a plan for a trade. Did you really mean to ask them for help and not give anything in return?”

“Oh, it’s okay,” said Kai quickly. “I mean, he did pay for the trip and he’s letting us stay here. Siphoning isn’t a problem for me, I really don’t mind.”

“Well, then allow me to offer help. With any spell you might need, I can aid you. I know that you have plenty of witches back home who can help, but perhaps a bit of Mikaelson flair is needed for something in particular?”

Kai pursed his lips. “We’ve been wanting to break the curse that keeps the Travelers from doing Traditional Magic, but since Vivi was pregnant, we couldn’t do it. We’re not sure how much power that requires, but if a Mikaelson witch inherently has more…”

“I’ll be happy to help,” said Freya. “Perhaps Klaus could take you to the Bayou to find Hayley while Vivianna and I plan for this spell and watch the children?”

That’s what they’d done. Before Klaus’s brother even returned, Kai and Klaus left, while Vivianna and Freya took the kids upstairs to what was apparently the witch’s study.

“Are you excited?” inquired Freya. “Soon, you’ll be able to do magic you never could in the past.”

“It’s a bit nerve-wracking, honestly,” said Vivianna, watching as Hope crawled around the room. “All my life I’ve only been able to do a limited amount of magic, and now this world of possibilities is about to be opened up. I worry I might not be good at it. However, I am still excited, since it means I’ll be more able to teach Julian proper magic once he’s old enough.” She paused. “I have a question for you. How do you deal with your family’s situation? They’re immortals. And you’re not.”

Freya sighed. “For a time, I was immortal. Through being linked to Dahlia, I lived a thousand years, sleeping for a century, waking for one year of life at a time. We didn’t need to do that, really, we could have been awake far longer and the spell would have preserved us, but she wished to maximize how much power we could gain while asleep. For her, the best way to do that was to let the world pass us by. Why do you ask?”

“Kai’s a vampire,” she murmured. “My son is a siphoner, who will likely choose to be a heretic once he’s of age. Even your niece… eventually she could choose to activate her vampire side. You and I will continue to age. And if we were to choose to be turned so that we could spend eternity with our loved ones, then we’d lose our magic.”

Freya sighed. “It is something I’ve thought of often. I still don’t know what I desire in life. I don’t know if I wish to get married and have children. Therefore, I remain mortal, with my magic handy, so that I may protect my family as needed. You already know what your future will be. Living with a partner who doesn’t age. A child who eventually will become immortal as well. Your choice is more straightforward. You either turn to spend eternity with them or you die naturally, because you already know what will happen either way. I don’t. I could choose to turn then end up meeting someone and find myself wishing I was able to start a family with them. I could choose to age then fall in love with a vampire, and I’ll be stuck wondering if maybe I should lose my magic to be with them forever.” 

“If they’re going to be immortal, I want to join them,” said Vivianna. “I want to have my magic at least until Julian decides to become a heretic. And when we have that talk with him, I won’t want him to willingly turn until he’s at least eighteen and can make decisions for himself. So… that’s eighteen years from now, and I’m going to be forty-one. I’m going to look really old. I don’t want to look that much older than Kai. It’s weird… I’d be okay with losing my magic eventually, but I don’t want to look ancient.”

Freya chuckled. “Believe me, I understand that. I envy my siblings sometimes… they turned and they stay looking young. Perhaps I could give you the spell my aunt Dahlia used on herself and on me. It should last for at least twenty-five years. You could use it, look as young as you do now, and as soon as your son is ready to turn, you can, too, and then you will keep this face for eternity, if it’s what you wish for.”

Vivianna smiled. “I appreciate it, Freya. Another question… do you think Kai’s siphoning is actually going to break the Crescent Curse?”

“It should. My brother had Dahlia concentrate the spell on Hayley. Whatever happens to her happens to all. The spell should have created a sort of… magical covering over her body, to keep it concentrated on her, and apply to the rest of her pack. If he siphons that magic, without harming her, then it should be like a domino effect. All the wolves will revert to their human states. Perhaps it might not happen all in one day, but if he were to release the magic as he siphons it to simultaneously break the curse, then it could occur all at once. I have faith that a siphoner can do what I haven’t been able to.”

Freya then got a look in her eyes, causing her to smile. “You know, once you can do Traditional Magic, a Connective Magic spell would be far stronger. And since Kai is immortal… it could be exactly what you need so that you don’t have to turn.”

Vivianna didn’t fully understand. “What do you mean?”

“Well, from my understanding, you and Kai had a Connective Magic spell between you in the past. If you were to re-establish it once you are able to perform Traditional Magic, then your life could be linked to his. You will both be witches, both augmenting your power. But he is already naturally immortal. Which would make you…”

“Naturally immortal too,” mumbled Vivianna. “So as long as he lives, so would I, and I wouldn’t have to use my magic.”

“Of course,” said Freya, “that also would mean that if he died, you would, as well.”

“It’s sort of poetic. We’d never be separated, not even by death. Wow… we should definitely try that. I’m the only person that can teach my son Traveler magic. If this could keep me able to perform magic for much longer than twenty-five years… then I could make sure he knows everything that I do and is prepared to use his powers to their full extent.”

The two women instinctively looked down at the two children. Hope was giggling, laying on her back and trying to imitate Julian, who was wiggling, and still learning to move his little legs and arms. 

“They’re going to be good friends, aren’t they?” whispered Freya. “Perhaps the only ones who will truly be able to understand each other.”

“Your brother had a strange way of wording it,” said Vivianna. “Saying that no one else would be worthy of being their friend because they’re not as strong.”

“Ah… he’ll see in the future that Hope, and even Julian, will just want to be normal. They’re going to be young children who want someone to play catch with them. They don’t want to be worshipped. I hope that no matter what, these two can always rely on each other. Just as I hope that our families can be more than allies. Friends. We will aid you as necessary, and if possible, you can help us if you believe you can make a difference. Unfortunately, these little ones will never cease having enemies. People who will want to hurt them all because they don’t know who they might become when they’re older.”

Freya sighed. “Everyone fears what Hope will be, all because of Klaus. Perhaps everyone will have the same fear for Julian because of what Kai used to be like. But I believe that this generation has a chance to be so much better than any of us ever were. I believe that they’re going to bring the supernatural communities a lasting piece. Look at them. So innocent now. Yet, they have the opportunity to unite all witches, as well as the wolves and vampires. They’re going to make this world safer for those who will come after them. We just have to make sure to never let them down.”

A/N: Happy 400 pages! Keep reading for the Epilogue, which will be short.

Chapter Text

Freya had been right.

The world was safer. The children were happy with their friends, even if they didn’t have the same abilities. In fact, it was the differences in abilities that made their lives most exciting.

Julian and Hope had become best friends. They’d both been there when Jo and Alaric’s daughters were born, twins named Josette and Elizabeth (as a tribute to Liz Forbes, who had been there to help Jo when her water had broken unexpectedly while at the store). All four of them had become close, and it felt natural that they ought to be given the chance to grow up together in a consistent environment.

Jo and Alaric had founded the Salvatore School. When Damon and Elena took the cure, they felt it best to live in a house. So, with Kai and Stefan’s help, Damon had rebuilt the old Gilbert House (with Salvatore-caliber bathrooms). Stefan, meanwhile, had eventually proposed to Caroline, and the two had purchased their own little house near Whitmore. The large Boarding House was donated as a campus, and Klaus Mikaelson had given a very generous donation to ensure his daughter 'wasn't attending a common school like human children.' Surprisingly, despite his tendency for snappy retorts, he and Kai had managed to become friends, while Vivianna grew close with the rest of the Mikaelsons, including Hayley and Marcel, who she'd gifted the cure to so that he and Rebekah could take it together once Damon and Elena were ready to pass.  

Vivianna got to become a teacher at the school, fulfilling her desire to be a magic instructor. Upon the Traveler Curse being broken, she was able to do all sorts of magic to show the students different spell styles from various origins. It allowed her to keep an eye on Julian, who proved to be quite the little troublemaker when he and Hope were left unsupervised even for just a minute. Additionally, it kept her able to monitor their magic, to ensure neither of them was losing control. Aside from the usual emotional bursts, they were both rather good at keeping themselves composed.

Kai had been proud to become the biomedical engineer, who secretly used magic to learn how to fix machines and improve medical imaging for patients much like Liz, whose cancer had not been eradicated, but had been slowed to give her at least two decades more of time with her daughter. He'd broadened his expertise by learning to fix many more types of appliances, which proved a big help both at the school, and in the house he built for himself, Vivianna, and Julian.

The world watched as Julian and Hope grew to be every good bit of their parents, as opposed to the evil that many feared would take root. Hope was loyal like Klaus. Selfless like Hayley. Julian had Kai’s sense of humor and creativity, with Vivianna’s compassion. The two had no traces of cruelty and vengeance the witches anticipated from them prior to their births. They didn’t want to take over the world. They just wanted to improve it.

On Julian’s eighteenth birthday, he’d decided that he would turn only when Hope was ready to activate her vampire side. He insisted he didn’t want her to go through it alone. He would wait as long as it took, just to make sure that his friend had someone to relate to while learning to control her hunger.

Just like that, the witches and the Travelers finally had peace, after two thousand years of turmoil.

The vendetta was over.

A/N: Keep reading for the Final Author's Note!

Chapter Text

Thank you so so so much to everyone who kept up with this story! I honestly didn’t know what was gonna happen, I just knew I wanted it to be happy, and I wanted it to have a redeemed!Kai. I hope I did a good job with that. Thank you for your feedback and your lovely comments! <3

I just want to make a note— this really wasn’t possible for canon Kai. Many people who read my other Kai Parker x OC story, Pernicious, thought it was very dark and twisted. That was the brutal reality. A sociopathic Kai was toxic and manipulative and driven to hurt people to feel satisfied. With my OC there, it wasn’t possible for him to become a better man. Both of them were meant to be evil.

When I came up with Vivianna’s character, I saw an opportunity. A Traveler who could break the curse (which isn’t exactly canon, just something I came up with to explain why siphoning and sociopathy are seemingly tied together). Thus, redeemed!Kai was possible here, where it honestly isn’t in other circumstances. Even with Luke’s emotions in canon after the Merge, Kai was still pretty mean. And in reality, though I adore Kai and like the storyline, he didn’t deserve a second chance.

Here, he got it. Because he was given the emotional capacity to be better, and he took it. Just remember to be careful in writing (for those of you who are authors). Understand what is or isn’t possible. Focus on the limitations of canon and then, if you are really set on an idea, alter it to make it realistically possible. Overall, do what makes you happy. Write stories that inspire you and bring you peace of mind. Don't do it all for other people, or you won't find yourself satisfied with your work at the end of the day.

At least now I can say I have two Kai Parker stories, each of which are completely different depending on people’s tastes, lol.

Without further ado, here is my next story — Kol Mikaelson x OC:

Millennium

Mischief Managed,

Sprinting Fox